ABSTRACT
The testing of preoperative skin-preparation products has had the characteristics of a stepchild. More attention to demonstration of antimicrobial effectiveness has been focused on handwashing and surgical scrubbing. Now, with rapidly developing technology, attention has been focused on the preparation of access sites for new medical devices. Many of the effectiveness and testing considerations apply to skin preparations for use of these devices. This chapter will discuss where we are, how we got here, and where we hope to go.
