The two recent articles, in the August and September editions of Health Estate Journal, on the subject of thermometry raise a number of interesting points and issues worthy of further debate, writes Mike Arrowsmith, HEJ technical editor.
Thermometry: further debate needed
One thing is without doubt – the subject is much more complicated than the simple explanation given in Appendix 2 of the 1980 edition of HTM 10. Things have moved on. At that time there was much debate about instrumentation accuracy and claims by the more enthusiastic Regional Sterilizer Engineers that thermocouples could be accurate to within a quarter of a degree or less raised a number of eyebrows, particularly within the context of a sterilising temperature range of 134±4 0°C.
From the perspective of patients and their champions, the infection control teams, one suspects that there are more concerns about the decontamination process being carried out rather than the absolute accuracy of the parameters.
_ To obtain a broader view on thermometry issues, the Authorised Persons (Sterilizers) Group has been asked to comment.