Cleanliness of portable medical equipment disinfected by nursing staff.

Increased attention has been focused on disinfection by housekeepers, but few data are available on disinfection of equipment by nurses. We used adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence assays and aerobic cultures to assess the cleanliness of portable medical equipment disinfected by nurses between each patient use. We found that the equipment was not being disinfected as per protocol and that education and feedback to nursing are warranted to improve disinfection of medical equipment.