Effectiveness of disinfection with alcohol 70% (w/v) of contaminated surfaces not previously cleaned

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the disinfectant effectiveness of alcohol 70% (w/v) using friction, without previous cleaning, on work surfaces, as a concurrent disinfecting procedure in Health Services.

METHOD:

An experimental, randomized and single-blinded laboratory study was undertaken. The samples were enamelled surfaces, intentionally contaminated with Serratia marcescens microorganisms ATCC 14756 10⁶ CFU/mL with 10% of human saliva added, and were submitted to the procedure of disinfection WITHOUT previous cleaning. The results were compared to disinfection preceded by cleaning.

RESULTS:

There was a reduction of six logarithms of the initial microbial population, equal in the groups WITH and WITHOUT previous cleaning (p=0.440) and a residual microbial load ≤ 10² CFU.

CONCLUSION:

The research demonstrated the acceptability of the practice evaluated, bringing an important response to the area of health, in particular to Nursing, which most undertakes procedures of concurrent cleaning /disinfecting of these work surfaces.

Ethanol; 2-Propanol; Disinfection; Hospital Infection Control Program; Nursing