OBJECTIVE To investigate the quality of cleaning and disinfection of the internal channel and each interface of flexible endoscopes by applying cluster-testing methods, and to evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic cleaning and disinfection quality.

METHODS Eighty-five cleaned and disinfected endoscopes were examined simultaneously using a cluster testing method, visual inspection of the exterior of the lumen, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing, microbial culture, and portable lumen instrument visualization system observation.

RESULTS Visual inspection of the 85 endoscopic external surface found that the external surface of 3 endoscopes had mild abrasion. The endoscopic lumen failure rates detected by ATP test from high to low order were bronchoscopy, gastroscopy, and enteroscopy. 327 specimens collected from endoscopic lumen, biopsy channel, air/water channel, and suction channel were tested by bacteriological detection, of which 46 were positive, with the highest positive rate of 34.12% being detected in endoscopic lumen, and the difference between the positive rate of bacterial detection of various parts was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Portable tube lumen instrument visualization system showed that 78 endoscopes had scratched lumen, with the top scratches rate of 94.29% in gastroscopes. Scratches were positively correlated with ATP detection and bacteriological detection.

CONCLUSION The application of the cluster-based detection method could compensate for the limitations of single detection methods for endoscopy detection, evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopy cleaning and disinfection, and provide guidance for endoscopy-related hospital infection prevention and control.