As a medical provider, cleanliness is critical. Over the last several years, development of superbugs and rare strains of viruses have left many people wondering if we do everything needed to ensure equipment is truly clean and disinfected.
Maybe you’re routinely cleaning every instrument just as you always have, yet don’t truly know if your cleaner is doing the job. Instead of continuing to clean in the same way without truly understanding how effective your disinfecting process is, it might be time to test your cleaner.
Washer disinfector validation is a simple test you run on your mechanical cleaning equipment. This test is easy to administer, as it uses small test strips, and doesn’t take up a lot of time. It provides the peace of mind of knowing your cleaning equipment is doing its job. If it is not, you will be quickly alerted so you can take action. The test strips are extremely cost effective, so you can afford to test as regularly as needed. The strips test the four major components of instrument cleaning, including wash cycle time and temperature, mechanical action and detergent efficacy.
The washer disinfector validation test is easy to read, and it’s simple to save test results to a log that serves as documentation that you are testing your equipment regularly.
To ensure your machine is up to par, it’s recommended you test it weekly, at a minimum. Some sources recommend daily testing. In addition, you should test every new machine before its first use, and you should test any machine before using it again after it undergoes maintenance.
As a medical provider, you always want to ensure your equipment is clean and sanitary. By using simple, inexpensive washer disinfector validation, you are assured your instruments are clean and safe every time you use these.
