Study Validates ATP Testing for Monitoring Sanitation in Hospitals

A study by Sciortino and Giles (2012) published in the American Journal of Infection Control has validated that ATP testing is an effective tool for monitoring the cleanliness of hospital surfaces. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) detection systems measure the amount of organic materials in a sample, such as blood, mucus, bacteria, and viruses. When used to verify the cleanliness of hospital surfaces, ATP testing results indicate whether a surface needs to be re-cleaned or cleaning methods need to be changed.

The study concludes that ATP testing is effective in monitoring sanitation in hospitals. ATP is stable over a ten-day period, unperturbed by sanitizer, and is removed with effective cleaning.

In the study, hospital surfaces were treated with three representative bacteria and blood as biological sources of ATP. Three different ATP detection systems were evaluated and compared.

Some of the study criteria used were the linearity of ATP detection, limit of detection, lack of interference from other substances, swabbing efficiency, clinical sensitivity, reportable range, measure of cleanliness after cleaning, and test variability. Of the three tests, only the Charm Sciences novaLUM and PocketSwab Plus system was verified for use in hospitals without protocol modification.

Reference:  Sciortino CV and Giles RA. Validation and comparison of three adenosine triphosphate luminometers for monitoring hospital surface sanitization: A Rosetta Stone for adenosine triphosphate testing. American Journal of Infection Control . October 2012. 40(08) e233-9.

Source: Charm Sciences, Inc.