Evaluation of aseptic technique used in interventional rheumatology: survey among Moroccan and Tunisian rheumatologists

The objective of our study was to evaluate the aseptic technique used in interventional rheumatology by Moroccan and Tunisian rheumatologists. We performed an online survey among rheumatologists from Morocco and Tunisia. The questionnaire included 15 questions with single and multiple-choice answers and three open sections for freetext comments. An online survey was prepared and sent to 380 rheumatologists. One hundred and four rheumatologists (27.36%) replied to the survey. More than half of the participants (56.7%) were from Tunisia and 43.3% were from Morocco. Interventional procedures on superficial joints were performed by all participants. Ultrasonography was used by 41.3% of respondents to guide interventional procedures. Regarding the aseptic precautions taken to avoid infection, the majority of participants used povidone iodine to clean the skin and only 8.7% wore a mask. Hand washing alone without gloves wearing was done by 19.2% of participants. 2.9% of participants reported a history of iatrogenic septic arthritis and the duration of practice was the only factor associated with its occurrence (P=0.007). Our study showed that aseptic technique used during interventional rheumatologic procedures is heterogeneous. However, the majority of participants were aware of its necessity to avoid iatrogenic septic arthritis.