Answer :
Final answer:
After cleaning and sanitizing items, they should be allowed to air-dry. Different items require different levels of cleanliness depending on their use, and hand hygiene is critical, especially for healthcare workers.
Explanation:
After cleaning and sanitizing items in a three-compartment sink, they should be allowed to air-dry rather than be wiped dry with a clean cloth. Wiping items dry can reintroduce bacteria onto a surface that has been sanitized. This concept applies to a wide range of settings, including commercial kitchens and health care facilities, where utensils, dishes, or medical equipment are regularly cleaned and sanitized for hygienic safety.
There are different protocols for cleanliness depending on the category of the items - critical, semicritical, and noncritical. Critical items like surgical instruments that penetrate sterile tissues need to be sterile. Semicritical items like endoscopes, which may contact mucous membranes or nonintact skin, require a high level of disinfection but typically do not need to be sterilized. Noncritical items, such as bed linens and stethoscopes that may contact but not penetrate intact skin, need to be clean but not highly disinfected.
The process of disinfection inactivates most microbes on the surface of an item by using antimicrobial chemicals or heat. Although some microbes may still remain, it significantly reduces the risk of spreading infection. On the other hand, handwashing is even more critical for healthcare workers, who should wash their hands thoroughly between every patient contact, after the removal of gloves, after contact with bodily fluids and potentially infectious materials, and before and after assisting a surgeon with invasive procedures.
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