Background All endoscopes and accessories must be rigorously decontaminated after each endoscopic operation. Although there are few prospective studies on the incidence of pathogen transmission during gastrointestinal endoscopy, it was reported that in developing countries, the disinfection procedures are not well respected in accordance with recommended standards.

Purpose As part of a continuous improvement process of our quality practices, the hospital pharmacist has to be engaged in the evaluation of endoscope disinfection of the gastroenterology department of our hospital.

Material and methods The study was conducted on six endoscopes and two lots of disinfectant, in order to achieve the following:

• Check the efficiency of endoscopic equipment disinfection procedures of the gastroenterology service compared with the CLIN protocol.

• Analyse the microbiological samples from the endoscopes to detect possible contamination and infection risk.

• Control quality and conformity of the disinfecting product acquired by the CHU by dosing its active principles.

Results Procedures for cleaning and disinfecting endoscopes were applied in up to 60%.

1. Microbiological analyses of endoscopes disinfected according to internal disinfection procedures were positive for the presence of pathogen colonies.

2. Microbiological analyses of endoscopes disinfected according to the protocol (CLIN) revealed absence of germs.

3. The quality control of disinfectants revealed non-conformity of one of the batches.

Conclusion This modest work done by the hospital pharmacist shows his catalytic role in the detection of non-compliance, having led to the deterioration of a newly installed endoscope.

No conflict of interest