Sterilization of instruments in general practice: what does it entail?

There is increasing interest amongst general practitioners in carrying out minor surgical procedures but it is unclear what resources are available for this. We decided to assess the level of knowledge of sterilization and the use of benchtop sterilisers in general practice by circulating a postal questionnaire to the 883 general practices in the Trent Regional Health Authority. The response rate was 49%. Minor surgical procedures were performed in 86% of practices but less than half of respondents understood what was meant by sterilization, 28% considered that the floor of the surgery should be disinfected or sterilised and 13% believed that immersion in 2% glutaraldehyde for 10 min constituted sterilization. 93% had a benchtop steriliser, only a quarter kept a log book, and approximately a third had it serviced at intervals of one year or longer. Less than 50% understood the correct position in which a bowl or kidney dish should be placed and 41% had used or had access to a local sterile services department. The concept of sterilization is not clearly understood and the use of benchtop sterilisers in Trent is suboptimal. On-going education of staff in primary care is required and consideration should be given to a system of accreditation.