Prevention is the first line of defence in the fight against infection. As antibiotics and other antimicrobials encounter increasing reports of microbial resistance, the field of decontamination science is undergoing a major revival. A Practical Guide to Decontamination in Healthcare is a comprehensive training manual, providing practical guidance on all aspects of decontamination including: microbiology and infection control; regulations and standards; containment, transportation, handling, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of patient used devices; surgical instrumentation; endoscopes; and quality management systems.
Written by highly experienced professionals, A Practical Guide to Decontaminationin Healthcare comprises a systematic review of decontamination methods, with uses and advantages outlined for each. Up-to-date regulations, standards and guidelines are incorporated throughout, to better equip healthcare professionals with the information they need to meet the technical and operational challenges of medical decontamination.

A Practical Guide to Decontaminationin Healthcare is an important new volume on state-of-the-art decontamination processes and a key reference source for all healthcare professionals working in infectious diseases, infection control/prevention and decontamination services.
Foreword, vi

Glossary of terms, vii

Acknowledgements, xiii

1 Introduction, 1

2 Basic anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, 18

3 Medical and surgical procedures and facilities, 52

4 Instrumentation, 70

5 Microbiology and infection control/prevention, 101

6 Chemistry and physics, 130

7 Post-procedure handling, containment and transport, 158

8 Cleaning, 173

9 Disinfection, 219

10 Inspection, packaging and loading for sterilization, 259

11 Sterilization, 291

12 Storage and distribution, 360

13 Safety, 370

14 Management principles, 390

15 Special interest topics, 418

Index, 437
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