The Principles of Medical Device Decontamination

Decontamination Water Requirements

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Overview

Water quality management can be difficult to understand and control for decontamination processes as there are many areas that contribute to poor water quality. Users need to be fully aware of the water supply and distribution system and how the quality is managed at the point of use. Problems can manifest themselves either within the incoming water supply, within the water treatment equipment in the vicinity of the washroom or within the washer disinfectors. Management of the water quality can be aided by regular interaction with the multidisciplinary teams within the Water Safety Group to understand the implications of ongoing infections that may be related to decontamination equipment. In addition, regular monitoring and testing are required so that users can determine that standards are being maintained to provide safe water to prevent patient infections and damage to equipment.

Good practice points for the cold water supply and storage

The water supplied to a hospital will be delivered by a water utility company and must comply with the drinking water regulations 1 . However, users must understand that the water supplied to the hospital is not sterile and waterborne microorganisms may be present in the water. As the water travels through the hospital pipework the growth of these waterborne microorganisms in the water phase and as biofilms i must be controlled. In the cold water system this is carried out by insulating piping and keeping cold pipes away from hot sources to prevent excessive temperature rises in the cold water supply; there should typically not be more than a 2°C increase and the water should be below 20°C. i There are many publications about Biofilms and how to use them or control them in different industries. Biofilms are a complex community of many different microorganisms which can be a combination of bacteria, fungi, virus, or protozoa. These communities produce a protective extracellular polymeric layer sometimes described as a ‘slime’ layer. Biofilms attach to any surface wet or dry and they can present a real challenge in resistance to disinfectants and antimicrobial treatments.

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