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Cleaning, Disinfection and Decontamination

Hospital environments become contaminated with dust, general debris, chemical residues etc, as well as with organic matter and potentially pathogenic micro-organisms. A safe environment is achieved by removing or destroying this contamination and thereby preventing micro-organisms or other contaminants reaching a susceptible site in sufficient quantities to initiate infection or any other harmful response in patients. This is termed decontamination and involves cleaning and disinfection.

Cleaning: this is a process that physically removes contamination but does not necessarily destroy microorganisms. The reduction of microbial contamination is not routinely quantified and will depend upon many factors, including the efficiency of the cleaning process and the initial bioburden.

Disinfection: a process used to reduce the number of viable micro-organisms. It may not necessarily inactivate some microbial agents, such as certain viruses and bacterial spores.

The hospital environment is commonly perceived as a more important source of infection than evidence suggests. Walls and ceilings are rarely implicated in cross-infection, provided the surface remains intact and dry. In addition the consensus view is that there is little evidence microbes on general surfaces play any role in the transmission of healthcare associated infections.

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