Evaluación de la adhesión de médicos y odontólogos a protocolos internacionales de prevención de endocarditis infecciosa, Área Metropolitana de Bucaramanga

Abstract

Introduction: Infective endocarditis is a potentially devastating condition affecting the inner lining of the heart and its structures, representing a critically important clinical challenge where modern medicine and dentistry have increasingly taken a preventive approach. Objective: To evaluate the adherence of physicians and dentists to international protocols for the prevention of infective endocarditis from the AHA 2021, ESC 2023, NICE 2008, and BSCA 2012 in the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga in 2025. Methodology: An observational, analytical, crosssectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 136 participants, including cardiologists and/or internists registered with the Ministry of Health through the REPS (National Health System of the Ministry of Health), as well as final-semester dental students, periodontics residents, and faculty members specializing in periodontics and related fields from the University of Santo Tomás. The survey was previously validated using the Delphi methodology, yielding a Lawshe index of 77.5%. The sample size was calculated using EPIDAT 4.2 with a 95% confidence level. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed using Stata software v18. Results: The study population consisted of 54 specialist physicians and 82 dentists; 63.41% of the dentists were female and 64.81% of the physicians were male. The bivariate analysis showed that, among the specialist physician group, 27.50% (n=11) and 14.29% (n=2) of internists and cardiologists, respectively, had a low level of adherence to international guidelines for the prevention of infective endocarditis. Conclusion: The professional groups located in Bucaramanga, the metropolitan area, and the municipalities of Santander adhere to the Infectious Endocarditis prophylaxis guidelines, with some limitations, such as the lack of ongoing education updates.