Surface disinfection practice in a hospital pharmacy aseptic compounding unit

Abstract

Background: Hospital pharmacies that offer an aseptic medicine compounding service must ensure the final product is free from microbial, particulate and pyrogen contamination. Disinfecting medicines, consumables and containers prior to entry into the cleanroom environment is an essential step in minimising microbial contamination. Aim: This study investigated whether spraying items with sterile ethanol 70% then wiping with 70% isopropyl alcohol-impregnated wipes successfully disinfects items prior to transfer into the cleanroom. Methods: Each compounding operator performed a left- and right-hand finger dab sample after each compounding session for 2 months prior to and 2 months after implementation of the spray-and-wipe disinfection practice. Results: Prior to the new disinfection practice, 96 finger dab pairs of samples were collected. No contamination occurred in 36.5% of sample pairs. Of the samples that were positive, 75% had three or fewer colonies per agar plate. After introduction of the spray-and-wipe practice, 84 finger dab pairs were collected. No contamination occurred in 82.1% of sample pairs and of the positive samples 93% had three or fewer colonies. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the disinfection practice of spraying items with sterile ethanol 70% and then wiping with 70% isopropyl alcohol-impregnated wipes significantly reduces the rate of operator glove contamination, but does not fully eliminate contamination. These results must be considered along with other environmental monitoring results as part of the quality assurance process to minimise the risk of microbial contamination in the final product.L20045999662020-04-20 <br />2020-10-28 <br />