title: Assessing the risk of disease transmission to patients when there is a failure to follow recommended disinfection and sterilization guidelines.
abstract: Medical devices that enter body tissues should be sterile, whereas devices that contact mucous membranes should be high-level disinfected between patients. Failure to ensure proper cleaning and sterilization or disinfection may lead to patient-to-patient transmission of pathogens. This paper describes a protocol that can guide an institution in managing potential disinfection and sterilization failures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. dweber@unch.unc.edu
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Rutala
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000592:standards; D004203:Disinfection / Q000592:standards*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards*; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011786:Quality Control; D012307:Risk Factors; D013242:Sterilization / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants