Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-bvgqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-24T20:08:52.979Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dilution dysfunction: evaluation of automated disinfectant dispenser systems in 10 hospitals demonstrates a need for improved monitoring to ensure that correct disinfectant concentrations are delivered

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2024

Jennifer L. Cadnum ,
Claire E. Kaple Open the ORCID record for Claire E. Kaple [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth C. Eckstein ,
Elie A. Saade Open the ORCID record for Elie A. Saade [Opens in a new window] ,
Amy J. Ray ,
Trina F. Zabarsky ,
Bernardino J. Guerrero ,
Mohamed H. Yassin  and
Curtis J. Donskey Open the ORCID record for Curtis J. Donskey [Opens in a new window]
Jennifer L. Cadnum
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
Claire E. Kaple
Affiliation:
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
Elizabeth C. Eckstein
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
Elie A. Saade
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
Amy J. Ray
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
Trina F. Zabarsky
Affiliation:
Environmental Programs Service, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA
Bernardino J. Guerrero
Affiliation:
Environmental Programs Service, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA
Mohamed H. Yassin
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine & Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Curtis J. Donskey*
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
*
Corresponding author: Curtis J. Donskey; Email: curtis.donskey@va.gov
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Automated dispensers that dilute concentrated disinfectants with water are commonly used in healthcare facilities. In a point-prevalence product evaluation, 9 of 10 (90%) hospitals using dilutable disinfectants had 1 or more malfunctioning dispensers. Twenty-nine of 107 (27.1%) systems dispensed product with lower-than-expected concentrations, including 15 (14.0%) with no detectable disinfectant.

Information

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 45 , Issue 11 , November 2024 , pp. 1362 - 1365
Check for updates
Creative Commons
This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
Copyright
© Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Donskey, CJ. Does improving surface cleaning and disinfection reduce health care-associated infections? Am J Infect Control 2013;41:S12–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutala, WA, Weber, DJ. Selection of the ideal disinfectant. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35:855–865.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deshpande, A, Mana, TS, et al. Evaluation of a sporicidal peracetic acid/hydrogen peroxide-based daily disinfectant cleaner. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35:1414–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cadnum, JL, Jencson, AL, O’Donnell, MC, Flannery, ER, Nerandzic, MM, Donskey, CJ. An increase in healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile infection associated with use of a defective peracetic acid-based surface disinfectant. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:300–305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyce, JM. Modern technologies for improving cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in hospitals. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2016;5:10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyce, JM, Sullivan, L, Booker, A, Baker, J. Quaternary ammonium disinfectant issues encountered in an environmental services department. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:340–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’Neill, C, Ramage, L, Wyatt, L, Ballantyne, L. Quality control is indispensable for automated dilution systems with accelerated hydrogen peroxide. Can J Infect Control 2009;24:226–8.Google ScholarPubMed
United States Environmental Protection Agency. OxyCideTM Daily Disinfectant Cleaner. Available at: https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/001677-00237-20191003.pdf. Accessed March 15, 2024.Google Scholar
ASTM International, Designation E2197. Standard Quantitative Disk Carrier Test Method for Determining Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Mycobactericidal, and Sporicidal Activities of Chemicals. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International; 2011.Google Scholar
Hawley, B, Casey, M, Cummings, KJ, Edwards, N, Johnson, A, Cox-Ganser, J; National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Evaluation of exposure to a new cleaning and disinfection product and symptoms in hospital employees. NIOSH health hazard evaluation report, HHE 2015-0053-3269, 2017. Available at: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/44556. Accessed March 15, 2024.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Cadnum et al. supplementary material

Cadnum et al. supplementary material
Download Cadnum et al. supplementary material(File)
File 11.2 MB