Integrated Maternal and Newborn Care Basic Skills Course ...

The materials needed for decontamination are:
• clean water
• chlorine solution/chlorine tablets/chlorine powder
• buckets with covers
• measuring cups
• a clock or timer
The four steps of decontamination are:
1) Fully immerse instruments and reusable gloves in 0.5% chlorine solution after use.
(Details of preparation of this solution are noted below.)
2) Soak for 10 minutes and rinse immediately.
3) Change the solution every day or earlier if it is dirty or cloudy.
4) Wipe surfaces (exam tables) and spills with chlorine solution.
2. Cleaning removes blood, other body fluids, tissue, and dirt. It also reduces the number of
germs and makes sterilization or HLD more effective. If a blood clot remains on an instrument,
germs in the clot may not be completely killed by sterilization or HLD.
The materials needed for cleaning are:
• detergent
• buckets or basins
• water
• toothbrush/brush
• utility gloves
The steps of cleaning are:
1) Wear utility gloves, a mask, and protective eyewear when cleaning instruments and other
items.
2) Using a soft brush, detergent, and water, scrub instruments and other items vigorously
to completely remove all blood, other body fluids, tissue, and other foreign matter. Hold
instruments and other items under the surface of the water while scrubbing and cleaning
to avoid splashing. Disassemble instruments and other items with multiple parts, and be
sure to brush in the grooves, “teeth,” and joints of items where organic material can
collect and stick.
3) Rinse items thoroughly with clean water to remove all detergent. Any detergent left on
the items can reduce the effectiveness of further chemical processing.
4) Allow items to air-dry (or dry them with a clean towel).
Note: Instruments that will be further processed with chemical solutions
must dry completely to avoid diluting the chemicals; items that will be
boiled or steamed do not need to be dried first.
3A. High-level disinfection (HLD) kills viruses (hepatitis B and C, HCV, HIV) and many other
germs, but does not reliably kill all bacterial endospores. It is the only acceptable alternative
when sterilization is not available.
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Integrated maternal and newborn care
Basic skills course