PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Enrique Murcio-Pérez AU - Raúl Antonio Zamarripa-Mottú AU - Gustavo Andrade-DePaulo AU - Octavio Aguilar-Nájera AU - Jorge Asadur Tchekmedyian AU - Gerardo Blanco-Velasco AU - Omar Michel Solórzano-Pineda AU - Oscar Victor Hernández-Mondragón AU - Felix Tellez-Avila TI - Adherence to recommendations for endoscopy practice during COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: how are we doing it? AID - 10.1136/bmjgast-2020-000558 DP - 2021 Jan 01 TA - BMJ Open Gastroenterology PG - e000558 VI - 8 IP - 1 4099 - http://bmjopengastro.bmj.com//content/8/1/e000558.short 4100 - http://bmjopengastro.bmj.com//content/8/1/e000558.full SO - BMJ Open Gastro2021 Jan 01; 8 AB - Background and aims Digestive endoscopy is considered a high-risk procedure for COVID-19. Recommendations have been made for its practice during the pandemic. This study was conducted to determine adherence to recommendations for endoscopy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America (LA).Methods A survey was conducted of endoscopists from LA consisting of 43 questions for the evaluation of four items: general and sociodemographic features, and preprocedure, intraprocedure and postprocedure aspects.Results A response was obtained from 338 endoscopists (response rate 34.5%) across 15 countries in LA. In preprocedure aspects (hand washing, use of face masks for patients, respiratory triage area, training for the placement/removal of personal protective equipment (PPE) and availability of specific area for the placement/removal of PPE), there was adherence in <75%. Regarding postprocedure aspects, 77% (261/338) had reused PPE, mainly the N95 respirator or higher, and this was with a standardised decontamination procedure only in 32% (108/338) of the time. Postprocedure room decontamination was carried out by 47% on >75% of occasions. In relationship to intraprocedure aspects (knowledge of risk and type of endoscopic procedures, use of PPE, airway management in patients and infrastructure), there was adherence in >75% for all the parameters and 78% of endoscopists only performed emergencies or time-sensitive procedures.Conclusions Adherence to the recommendations for endoscopy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic is adequate in the intraprocedure aspect. However, it is deficient in the preprocedure and postprocedure aspects.