Understanding decontamination

The Decontamination of Ultrasound Probes Study Day took place on Friday 10 May at Ardencote Resort and Spa in Warwick, and was chaired by Claire Jones-Manning, decontamination lead, University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust. Among the highlights, was Karren Staniforth, clinical scientist, infection prevention and control at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), who opened proceedings by providing an overview of decontamination to set the scene for the day. “Decontamination is the entire process required to remove or destroy contamination, including micro-organisms, thereby preventing these contaminants from reaching a susceptible site in sufficient numbers to initiate infection or some other harmful response,” she said. 

Karren explained that the decontamination processes for a specific item may include cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation, based on the likelihood of transmitting infection and the degree of potential harm. 

She continued: “The choice of decontamination method may depend on a number of factors, such as a patient’s susceptibility to infection. device compatibility - tolerance to heat, chemicals, pressure and, moisture – and the nature of the contamination. Additional challenges include the limited time available for processing, risks to processing staff, the cost of processing, and the availability of processing equipment. Earle H Spaulding summarised the risk back in 1939 in the Spaulding Classification.”