Natrual Scince

Student name

Course Mentor Dr. Eric Lagally

Western Governor’s University

04MAR2013

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Disinfectants Regularly Utilized In Hospital Practice

Problem statement

It is important to have good disinfection and sterilization measures in hospitals in order to control hospital acquired infections. Poor disinfection procedures can lead to increased hospital-acquired infections. Many laboratories in small hospitals cannot perform standard tests to determine the efficacy of their disinfectants. They normally rely on the information given by the manufacturers concerning the efficacy of their products. Most of the manufacturers claim that their disinfectants are efficient and suitable for different applications. Therefore, there is need to do a study to determine whether the locally manufactured disinfectants are really efficient.The aim of this study was to practically evaluate the efficacy of locally produced disinfectants on smooth and rough surfaces. The usefulness of the disinfectants was tested against highly drug-resistant isolates of Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Salmonella typhi.

Introduction

In hospital practice, disinfection is achievable either through immersion of contaminated equipments in disinfectants or by decontamination of surfaces like tables, floors and walls. In addition to this, chemical use of disinfectants serves to treat hazardous hospital waste. There are various disinfectants with different formulas. Variables like pH and disinfectant concentration, contact period, temperature, hardness of water, organic soil and bio-burden can affect the disinfection process. Hence, testing the disinfectant in the field for its specified application is essential in ensuring its effectiveness. Health care workers specifically in small hospitals have limited awareness on choice of appropriate...