Guidelines in Practice: Manual High-Level Disinfection

Area of Science:

• Healthcare,
• Infection Control,
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Semicritical devices require high-level disinfection (HLD) to prevent infections.
• Healthcare professionals need updated guidance for safe and effective HLD procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the updated AORN "Guideline for manual high-level disinfection."
• To highlight evidence-based best practices for perioperative nurses performing HLD.
• To address the prevention of patient and healthcare worker injuries related to HLD.

Main Methods:

• Review of the AORN "Guideline for manual high-level disinfection."
• Discussion of recommendations for HLD processes, including selection, preparation, manual disinfection, drying, storage, and record-keeping.
• Inclusion of a scenario on quality testing of disinfectant solutions.

Main Results:

• The guideline details best practices for manual HLD of semicritical items.
• Recommendations cover all stages of the HLD process, from item preparation to storage.
• The guideline addresses safety measures to prevent injuries associated with handling disinfectants.

Conclusions:

• Perioperative nurses should consult and implement the AORN guideline for manual HLD.
• Adherence to the guideline ensures safe and effective disinfection of semicritical devices.
• The guideline supports the prevention of harm to patients and healthcare workers during HLD.