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Sterilization and disinfection in the physician's office
1Committee on Office Medical Practice Assessment, College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Objective:
To review the principles and practice of sterilization and disinfection of medical instruments in the office setting.
Data Sources:
Searches of MEDLINE for articles published from 1980 to 1990 on disinfection, sterilization, cross infection, surgical instruments and iatrogenic disease, bibliographies, standard texts and reference material located in a central processing department.
Study Selection:
We reviewed surveys of decontamination practices in physicians' offices, reviews of current recommendations for office decontamination procedures, case reports of cross infection in offices and much of the standard reference material on decontamination theory and practice.
Data Synthesis:
There have been few surveys of physicians' decontamination practices and few case reports of cross infection. Office practitioners have little access to practical information on sterilization and disinfection.
Conclusion:
The increasing threat of cross infection from medical instruments calls for greater knowledge about decontamination. We have adapted material from various sources and offer a primer on the subject.