Disinfection and Sterilization in Health Care Facilities: An Overview and Current Issues

When properly used, disinfection and sterilization can ensure the safe use of invasive and noninvasive medical devices. The method of disinfection and sterilization depends on the intended use of the medical device: critical items (contact sterile tissue) must be sterilized before use; semicritical...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInfectious disease clinics of North America Vol. 30; no. 3; p. 609
Main Authors Rutala, William A, Weber, David J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.2016
Subjects
Disinfectants
Disinfection
Endoscopes
Health Facilities - standards
Humans
Sterilization
Disinfection
Sterilization
Health care facilities
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:When properly used, disinfection and sterilization can ensure the safe use of invasive and noninvasive medical devices. The method of disinfection and sterilization depends on the intended use of the medical device: critical items (contact sterile tissue) must be sterilized before use; semicritical items (contact mucous membranes or nonintact skin) must be high-level disinfected; and noncritical items (contact intact skin) should receive low-level disinfection. Cleaning should always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Current disinfection and sterilization guidelines must be strictly followed.
ISSN:1557-9824
DOI:10.1016/j.idc.2016.04.002