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floor, you risk spreading
any microorganisms
from the table back to
CONTACT-TIME CONUNDRUM
Adhering to a label's prescribed
contact time can require 5 to 6
reapplications during each
cleaning.
the floor — possibly
negating the work you
just did. Wet-mopping or
vacuuming using an
EPA-registered detergent/disinfectant is recommended after a procedure that has resulted in a blood or body fluid spill,
or "when a multi-drug-resistant organism is likely to be in the
environment."1
2. The disinfectant you're using to wipe down the Mayo stand between procedures
lists a contact time of 10 minutes, but the solution dries much faster than
that. Do regulatory agencies expect you to reapply the disinfectant product you're
using to meet the recommended contact time?
a. yes
b. no
a. yes. Non-critical items in the OR — those that come into contact only with
intact skin — carry little risk of infecting patients, but regulatory agencies
expect you to follow the label instructions. However, prominent infection prevention and control expert, and co-author of the CDC's Sterilization and
Disinfection Guidelines, William Rutala, MS, MPh, PhD, writes that the
O C T O B E R 2012 | 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
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