Q & A
Q
+ A
With...
Stephen Rowley, RN, RSCN, BSc( Hons), MSc, originator and clinical director of the Aseptic Non Touch Technique( ANTT ®) Clinical Practice Framework
The New CPR? Why ANTT is a Must-Know for Nurses
The concept of an aseptic technique has been around for more than a century, but there was no comprehensive model for explaining how to put it into practice until Stephen Rowley, RN, RSCN, BSc( Hons), MSc originated the Aseptic Non Touch Technique( ANTT) framework.
We spoke with Rowley from his home base in London to learn more about the growth and goals for the ANTT framework.
QWhen did you first establish ANTT?
AI originated a framework for aseptic technique about 20 years ago. ANTT was and still is the only framework that provides a comprehensive model for explaining how to practice aseptic technique. It gained a lot of traction in the UK in the mid’ 90s, because of high infection rates across the UK, then began to spread quite widely internationally, and we created the nonprofit clinical-based Association for Safe Aseptic Practice, or ASAP, to oversee and disseminate the ANTT project.
QYou’ ve compared the goal of ANTT to CPR. Why?
AOur mission was to replicate the single standard approach globally to aseptic technique that we see in CPR, and that remains our mission today. Whenever I teach, I always ask the audience two questions: Who’ s had training in CPR? If there are 200 people, everyone will hold up their hands. And then I ask the same 200 people with their hands up to put them down if they have not used CPR in the last year as a competency— about three or four hands remain up. And then I repeat the questions for aseptic technique, and nobody would put their hands up when asked about training, but everybody would put their hands up for having used it!
QWhy is this so important for the frontline staff to know?
A
Before I answer that question, I would probably say it’ s more important to the patients. First and foremost, there’ s a general acceptance that a significant proportion of healthcareassociated infection is considered preventable. And that largely boils down to a breakdown in the interaction between the healthcare worker and the patient while performing aseptic technique procedures, because that’ s the moment where patients are exposed to organisms they ordinarily wouldn’ t be through a part of their body that wouldn’ t ordinarily be breached. It’ s also important to frontline and primary care staff because they need
20 Healthy Skin Issue 16 / Fall 2025