A Hospital-Wide Program to Train Best Practice for Device Pre-Cleaning of Semi-Critical and Critical Medical Devices

Background: High-level disinfection (HLD) and sterilization are complex processes, requiring initial and ongoing training of frontline staff. Device pre-cleaning, the initial step of HLD and sterilization, is critical to prevent drying of bioburden on devices that may compromise HLD. Pre-cleaning is generally performed at point of care by frontline staff. The objective of this initiative was to develop a sustainable annual education and competency program for staff that perform pre-cleaning.