Earle Spaulding of

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptists, Baptist minister Russell Conwell an ...

(

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania) in a 1939 paper on

disinfection A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than s ...

surgical instrument A surgical instrument is a tool or device for performing specific actions or carrying out desired effects during a surgery or operation, such as modifying biological tissue, or to provide access for viewing it. Over time, many different kinds of ...

s in a

chemical solution In chemistry, a solution is a special type of homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is a substance dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. If the attractive forces between the solven ...

proposed "a strategy for sterilization or disinfection of inanimate objects and surfaces based on the degree of risk involved in their use". In order to simplify the nature of the disinfection process, Spaulding classified instruments and items used in patient care according to infection risk into "critical", "semicritical", and "noncritical" categories. He also classified levels of

germicidal An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

activity as "high", "intermediate", and "low". While influential, the Spaulding scheme is susceptible to oversimplification and can be difficult to implement.

References

External links

CDC HICPAC Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaulding, Earle H Surgical procedures and techniques Hygienists Year of birth missing Year of death missing Temple University faculty