[Disinfection and sterilization of reusable devices]

Official of quality assurance requirements for the disinfection and sterilization of reusable medical devices in health care facilities has been reminded recently. These requirements concern good manufacturing practices, essential to avoid adverse events. Identification of non critical and invasive devices, protocols for pre-disinfection, cleaning, high level disinfection and sterilization for thermosensitive materials must be evaluated. Monitoring and process control of these operations are defined by French regulations and European standards, and every health professional has to become aware of these limits.