[Use of paraformaldehyde tablets by Brazilian health institutions -- Part I]

A national survey was accomplished next to 6907 health Institutions through a questionnaire to explore and to describe the use of Parafolmaldehyde Tablets as microbicide agent. There was a return of 443 (6.41%) correspondences which 253 (57.89%) affirmed to apply this chemical agent. Several articles of medical-hospitable use with indication to sterilization through autoclaves, are processed by Parafolmaldehyde Tablets in the researched Institutions, demonstrating inadequate criteria in choosing the process. Another detected inadequate use of Parafolmaldehyde Tablets was in the processing of articles with lumens and the density materials due to the low penetrability of the gas. The nurses' perception with reference to the perspectives of Parafolmaldehyde Tablets's use as sterilizing chemical agent, in environmental conditions is of disuse, pointing for a search of safer technologies.