Re: Air sampling – operating theatre commissioning is it still necessary [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Greig Sue]

Hi Lindy,
This reply is not on behalf of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care but my personal advice on this topic.

I agree with everything you have identified however there are often pressures to test for reassurance/evidence and when I last worked on a recommissioning project in a procedural area/operating theatres we did do environmental testing of air samples and referenced the WA requirements as well as US references.

A resource I have found useful for all sorts of environmental testing (ozone, glutaraldehyde and biological air and surface tests) is the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists Inc. https://www.aioh.org.au/

I must say it was very reassuring to be able to report that the cleaning program as part of commissioning was effective when the sampling results were returned.

Happy to discuss further off line.

Good luck

Regards,
Sue

Dear brains trust

I have a Question around the validity of undertaking air sampling as part of infection control QA for commissioning of operating theatres.
I have read around current literature and guidelines attached it being recommended (& I have undertaken air sampling and had the micro lab previously read and report on the results which have been reviewed with the Clinical microbiologist/ID) I have attached a coupe I have looked data and used previously at what I thought were great documents!!

However recently I was asked to undertake this again as we will be undertaking work in OT re our air-conditioning system and was happy to progress as previous with sir sampling . however the health laboratory I am currently working with has declined to accept and undertake the analysis and reporting as they have indicated they are not NATA accredited to undertake this analysis and reporting .

So we have been looking around for an external private laboratory to undertake this analysis and reporting at great cost to us .
However in asking around my colleagues I have also been advised that there is no current NATA credentialing for air sampling (so even the private lab we will need to use won’t be accredited accredited?)

Can I clarify with anyone else working elsewhere if this is true, and /or what their experience has been in undertaken air sampling and how they have had it analysed and reported on

I am seriously wondering if I have missed anything new or different in the literature that has changed the concept of air sampling as useful tool for commissioning given if there is no there is no standard (ie NATA) of accreditation around the sample data analysis & reporting methodology and its validity then why would an air sampling need test still be recommended to be done at all if the labs are telling us the info can’t be considered accurate or correct without NATA validation

Any thoughts responses or advice greatly appreciated as we look at our next step here around value for money and safety

Kind regards

Lindy

Lindy Ryan

Infection prevention & Control Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) | Coffs Harbour Health Campus
Pacific Hwy Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Tel (02) 6656 7770 | lindy.ryan@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.au
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au

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“Wise and humane management of the patient is the best safeguard against infection”
(Florence Nightingale Circa 1860)

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