[Development of a new testmethod for surface disinfection procedures. VII. Proposal for the method (author's transl)]

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Surface disinfection is crucial for preventing healthcare-associated infections.
• Existing methods may not accurately reflect real-world conditions.
• A need exists for standardized, practical disinfection testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel method for evaluating surface disinfection procedures.
• To assess disinfectant efficacy under simulated practical conditions.
• To establish a standardized testing protocol.

Main Methods:

• Development of a testing procedure for surface disinfectants.
• Incorporation of natural kill rate into efficacy calculations.
• Testing with a minimally effective disinfectant concentration.

Main Results:

• The proposed method allows for calculation of disinfectant action, accounting for natural kill rates.
• Three independent tests using a liminal disinfectant concentration yielded highly consistent results.
• The reproducibility of the results indicates optimal standardization.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a reliable and standardized approach to evaluating surface disinfection.
• This testing procedure accurately reflects real-world disinfection scenarios.
• The optimal standardization allows for confident assessment of disinfectant efficacy.