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Review
. 2019 Mar;20(2):76-82.
doi: 10.1177/1757177419828139. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Chemical disinfectants: Controversies regarding their use in low risk healthcare environments (part 1)

Evonne T Curran  1 , Martyn Wilkinson  2 , Tina Bradley  2
Affiliations
Review

Chemical disinfectants: Controversies regarding their use in low risk healthcare environments (part 1)

Evonne T Curran et al. J Infect Prev. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

In recent years, the number of disinfectants designed to decontaminate healthcare environments and reusable, non-invasive care equipment (NICE) has increased markedly, making the selection of the most appropriate disinfectant a somewhat daunting prospect. In addition to the microbial challenge, there are numerous factors to consider including: efficacy; range and speed of activity; stability of the ingredients; compatibility of the disinfectant with surfaces; inactivation of the disinfectant by organic matter; method of application; convenience; health and safety concerns; and cost. While the microbial challenge continues to evolve, and novel disinfectants continue to emerge, guidance updates have been notably absent. Most healthcare surfaces belong to a UK-defined category of 'low risk' for which guidance dictates 'cleaning and drying is usually sufficient'. This paper assesses the evidence and arguments regarding the use of disinfectants for low-risk healthcare surfaces. A novel subcategorisation of 'low risk' is presented to provide a more specific up-to-date disinfectant needs assessment.

Keywords: Disinfectant; hospitals; low risk.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: ETC has previously undertaken work for Ecolab. This work was not commissioned and involved no funding or involvement from any company.

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