Sterile v Aseptic Non Touch Technique. What's the difference?

[Green_Grass]

It's been 5+ years since I've practised nursing in a U.S. hospital at the bedside and while living in the U.K., have come across wound care using Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT). Wound dressing change using ANTT begins by cleaning a designated trolley, donning a plastic apron, and placing dressing supplies on the bottom shelf. My nursing degree is from an American university and I am unable to recall learning about ANTT, but perhaps this is just a newer word for sterile technique. Is ANTT being taught in American universities and used in U.S. hospitals? Is it synonymous with sterile technique, and if not, what are the key differences? Appreciate your feedback.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

ANTT seems like something that is being heavily promoted in the UK and Australia as a standard of aseptic technique.

ANTT Clinical Practice Framework

ANTT is based upon a set of foundation Principles & Safeguards set out in the ANTT Clinical Practice Framework.

The Framework is used for all clinical procedures....

‘From surgery to

community care’

The Framework underpins the ‘ANTT-Approach’ to aseptic technique. For a free copy of the Framework please email us: [email protected]

ANTT: a standard approach to aseptic technique Nursing Times September 9, 2011 Friday

Apparently, there is standard ANTT and surgical ANTT. There is a difference still between sterile fields and clean technique but it's really hard to determine what the true difference is between that an aseptic technique in the US. I guess it's all about avoiding touching things as much as possible and using sterile glove technique for anything that must be touched. There are "micro critical aseptic fields" meaning that essential, non-sterile equipment can be placed in the aseptic field (????). But then you have standard surgical ANTT that is more strict and like sterile technique, I guess.

You can get special ANTT training but I am still a little in the dark as to what this is and how it actually works as a technique. It seems more like an international movement for standardizing aseptic technique than anything. It is a copyrighted name so someone is promoting it for some reason. Sorry I couldn't be of much help!!

[BonnieSc]

Ha! This is what they were/are doing at my hospital in East Africa. I'll be interested to explore the links later to understand what situations there are in UK/Australia where it's considered appropriate. They were using this technique for ALL dressing changes that we do "clean" in the US, and I didn't see the point at all--but I became adept at teaching it to nursing students, and sort of clumsily adept at doing it myself.