The Spaulding classification, originally proposed in 1957, is a widely used system for matching the disinfection and sterilization of surfaces, particularly those of re-usable medical/surgical devices, with available processes. It presents a ranking, from simple disinfection through to sterilization, that should be considered in the reprocessing of devices, based on the risks associated with th...

The role of disinfection in infection prevention has been analyzed over the past 50 years both in the form of benefit-risk evaluations as well as in an epidemiological sense. This has served as the basis for not only national and international guidelines and recommendations, but has also created the legal and normative framework for regulation of infection control (and hence of disinfection) in...

BACKGROUND Good hand hygiene compliance is essential to prevent nosocomial infections in healthcare settings. Direct observation of hand hygiene compliance is the gold standard but is time consuming. An electronic dispenser with built-in wireless recording equipment allows continuous monitoring of its usage. The purpose of this study was to monitor the use of alcohol-based hand rub dispensers w...

It has been demonstrated that atmospheric plasmajets can be used for non-conventional plasma processing that involves liquids. For the purpose of disinfecting human bodies in dental and surgical therapies, sterilization experiments in solution have been conducted with low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasmas. For the plasma disinfection in the body fluid, we have successfully developed the ...

ASBSTRACT Disinfection should be required for all skin penetrative procedures including parenteral administration of vaccines. This review analyses medically attended infectious events following parenteral vaccination in terms of their microbiological aetiology and pathogenesis. Like 'clean' surgical site infections, the major pathogens responsible for these events were Staphylococcal species, ...

Skin Irritations Irritant hand eczemas are local skin irritations caused by cleaning agents, frequent hand washing, inadequate hand drying, aggressive hand disinfection methods, glove powder, and the occlusive effect when wearing gloves. In the health sector, such hand eczemas are widespread with a prevalence of 23-44%, whereby the surgical and internal medicine areas are most commonly affected...