A survey of the appropriate use of antiseptic agents in the operating room of several key health care facilities. A comparison between surveys in 2000 and 2004.

Since 2000, new hand and environmental hygiene guidelines have been published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based on scientific evidence. Accordingly, we expected that the use of disinfectants in clinical settings had been changed. To compare the use and amount of disinfectants before and after the publication of these guidelines, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey on the use of antiseptic agents in operating rooms (ORs) in 6 key hospitals over a period of a month in 2000 and 2004. As a result, the amount of disinfectants used in ORs was reduced in all hospitals in 2004. Especially, amphoteric detergents and glutaral products showed significant reductions in the total amount used in the 6 hospitals, by 94.8 and 96.8%, respectively. The use of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) was decreased by 23.4% overall, although it was increased in 3 hospitals by 11.0-58.6%. The number of applications of PVP-I on the surgical site did not change; however, the site was left to dry without wiping after PVP-I application more frequently in 2004 than in 2000. The time for surgical scrubbing was shortened in 2004, but brush scrubbing was still used as often as in 2000. Many of the hospitals used brush scrubbing in conjunction with alcohol-based rubs. These results indicated changes in infection control measures in hospital settings after publication of the new CDC guidelines; environmental disinfection had been limited and excessive use of disinfectants reevaluated.