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I N F E C T I O N
P R E V E N T I O N
ARE YOU DOING IT RIGHT?
Your Surface Disinfection Checklist
T
he various levels of disinfection are defined by Spaulding's Classification. Surgical
instruments, facility surfaces and other items are assigned to 1 of 3 categories:
• critical, which enter or penetrate sterile tissue, cavity or bloodstream (surgical
instruments), and must be sterilized;
• semi-critical, which come into contact with intact non-sterile mucosa or non-intact
skin (colonoscopes), and must be at least high-level disinfected; and
• non-critical, which have contact with intact skin (keyboards, surgical tables and
floors), and must be cleaned or disinfected.
Surface disinfection generally falls into this non-critical category. But don't let the
name fool you. The tasks involved in general cleaning, whether in the OR, pre-op/PACU or
waiting room, are every bit as important for reducing microbe levels in your facility.
What's more, surface disinfection is done in the areas patients are most likely to see —
important because, in hospitals at least, patient satisfaction with facility cleanliness is
now tied partly to reimbursement.
Here's our facility's checklist of the areas and items you should be paying attention to, and
the approach recommended according to Spaulding's Classification.
Pre-op/PACU —
non-critical
Low-level disinfectant
• bed equipment
• blood pressure equipment
• IV stand
• keyboard
• light switches
• units on walls
• wheel chairs
1 3 4
— Ben Riker, RN
Low-intermediate disinfection
• bed
• bed mattress
• bed rails
Neutral cleaner
All other surfaces, such as blinds, bed cords,
chair/stretcher adjuster remote, floor, curtains,
chairs, bedside table, food table, vents, walls,
etc.
O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2013
