Final answer:
For minor surgical procedures, sterile saline solution is not an acceptable skin cleansing agent due to its lack of antimicrobial properties. Acceptable agents include alcohol, Betadine, and chlorhexidine, while phenol has been the historical reference for measuring disinfectants' effectiveness.
Step-by-step explanation:
For minor surgical procedures, sterile saline solution is NOT an acceptable skin cleansing agent because it does not contain antimicrobial properties.
Acceptable skin cleansing agents for such procedures include alcohol, Betadine (povidone-iodine), and chlorhexidine.
These agents have the ability to reduce microbial flora on the skin to prevent postoperative infections.
Sterile saline is typically used for wound irrigation or as a diluent but lacks any disinfectant properties.
When discussing microbial control to prevent infection, an antiseptic is suitable for use on living tissues.
Antiseptics like hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol are safe and effective for applying onto the skin to achieve antisepsis.
The effectiveness of chemical disinfectants has historically been compared to phenol.
Phenol was the standard by which the efficacy of other disinfectants was measured, given its recognizable antimicrobial properties.