Disinfectant standards: What you need to know

Effective disinfection of surfaces, instruments and hands is critical to minimize infection risks (bacterial, fungal and viral) in hospitals especially during the current global pandemic. This requires the selection of the most appropriate disinfectants, their correct application, and an assessment of their capability to inactivate or kill microorganisms. There is a wide choice of disinfectant formulations available and it is essential to ensure the most appropriate disinfectants are selected for the use for which they are intended and are then used correctly.

This article examines European Norms (EN) in relation to disinfectants, considers the importance of updates to these standards and offers some practical advice on ensuring that accurate comparisons between different disinfectants can be readily made.

The reference is:

Sandle, T. (2020) Disinfectant standards: What you need to know, Clinical Services Journal, 19 (6): 51-54 (https://www.clinicalservicesjournal.com/story/32875/disinfectant-standards-what-you-need-to-know)

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)