Surface disinfection: should we do it?

The effective use of disinfectants constitutes an important factor in preventing hospital-acquired infections. Surfaces are considered non-critical items as they come in contact with intact skin. Use of non-critical items or contact with non-critical surfaces carries little risk of transmitting a pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of hospital infection 2001-08, Vol.48 (48), p.S64-S68
Main Authors: Rutala, W.A., Weber, D.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Infective Agents, Local - economics
Anti-Infective Agents, Local - pharmacology
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Antiseptics
Biological and medical sciences
Cross Infection - epidemiology
Cross Infection - microbiology
Cross Infection - prevention & control
Cross Infection - transmission
cross-infection
Disease Reservoirs
Disinfectants - economics
Disinfectants - pharmacology
Disinfection
Disinfection - economics
Disinfection - methods
Disinfection - standards
Drug Resistance
Environmental Microbiology
environmental surfaces
Equipment Contamination - prevention & control
Floors and Floorcoverings
Guidelines as Topic
Hospital Costs - statistics & numerical data
Housekeeping, Hospital - economics
Housekeeping, Hospital - methods
Housekeeping, Hospital - standards
Humans
Infection Control - economics
Infection Control - methods
Infection Control - standards
Medical sciences
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Refuse Disposal
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Summary:The effective use of disinfectants constitutes an important factor in preventing hospital-acquired infections. Surfaces are considered non-critical items as they come in contact with intact skin. Use of non-critical items or contact with non-critical surfaces carries little risk of transmitting a pathogen to patients. Thus, the routine use of disinfectants to disinfect hospital floors and other non-critical items is controversial. However, surfaces may potentially contribute to cross-transmission by acquisition of transient hand carriage by health care personnel due to contact with a contaminated surface or by patient contact with contaminated surfaces or medical equipment. This paper reviews the epidemiological and microbiological data regarding the use of disinfectants on non-critical surfaces. It concludes that while non-critical surfaces are uncommonly associated with transmission of infections to patients, one should clean and disinfect surfaces on a regularly scheduled basis.
ISSN:0195-6701
1532-2939
DOI:10.1016/S0195-6701(01)90017-9