Protect it to share it!

Why is ANTT® trademarked?

Given ANTT is used so widely its clear that the Trademark isn’t intended to stop ANTT being utilised! It is there to prevent commercial exploitation. More importantly, it helps protect the integrity of the ANTT Clinical Practice Framework and serves as a reminder to healthcare professionals and organisation using ANTT, that its practice terms and intellectual property must not be modified to personal taste. If we allowed this, ANTT would very simply become yet another variable, generic and ambiguous term for aseptic technique. Ultimately, protecting the integrity of ANTT, helps protect patients, and maintains it as a useful and important tool for healthcare workers.


Terms & conditions

Feel welcome to use our Intellectual property© :-)

Aseptic Non Touch Technique - ANTT® - can be used freely by practicing healthcare professions and health care organizations, as long the principles of the ANTT Clinical Practice Framework are not altered and its unique practice terms are used accurately. ANTT’s intellectual property remains the property of www.antt.org in accordance with UK and international law. 


What can you use ANTT for?

You do NOT require our permission to use ANTT for its intended purpose of clinical practice, education and research. You do need our permission to associate ANTT commercially, or if you create educational media that is to be used outside of your organisation, such as publishing on the internet. 


eLearning and Virtual Reality (VR) Course Development

eLearning and VR Course and media development involves significant interpretation and publishing. The development of ANTT titled, and ANTT dedicated, e-Learning and VR courses is NOT permitted. (For example, ‘The ANTT Cannulation  Course’ - which is effectively titled and all about ANTT).   


However, E-Learning and VR Courses or media that are NOT titled ANTT, and the content is NOT dedicated solely to ANTT, such as say, ‘The Cannulation Course’, are permitted and encouraged to include ANTT practice terms etc to describe the relevant aseptic aspects of practice within the course. It’s a question of balance. Our aim is to find the right balance between disseminating ANTT and protecting it. If in doubt, we are always happy to advise so do please get in touch. 



How to reference ANTT®

An important part of protecting ANTT for everyones benefit is referencing it accurately


Getting the name right

An important place to start is to correctly name ANTT. It is not aseptic no-touch technique, no touch, or even non-touch technique – it is a proper noun phrase and is capitalised in the following way:

Aseptic Non Touch Technique, and abbreviated as ANTT. The first time it appears in a title or text it’s a good idea to add the ‘registered’ mark –  ®. We don’t generally continue to add this mark every time ANTT is mentioned.


ANTT Citation

If you are citing ANTT resources / definition(s) from The Association for Safe Aseptic Practice (ASAP) we’d recommend the following:

For the ANTT Clinical Practice Framework, of other ANTT resources obtained from The-ASAP website: The Association for Safe Aseptic Practice (2021). Available at: https://www.antt.org/resources.html.


If your citing ANTT more generally, we’d suggest the following:

  • Rowley S, Clare S, Macqueen S, Molyneux R (2010) ANTT v2: An updated practice framework for aseptic technique. British Journal of Nursing 19(5), S5-S11.
  • Rowley S, Clare S. (2019) Standardizing the Critical Clinical Competency of Aseptic, Sterile, and Clean Techniques with a Single International Standard: Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT®). JAVA 24(4)
  • Rowley S, Clare S (2019) Right Infection Prevention: Infection Prevention with Vascular Access Devices / ANTT [chapter] in Vessel Health and Preservation: The Right Approach for Vascular Access ed. Moureau, N. New York: Springer


If you are citing a recommendation to use ANTT here are some examples: 











If you are looking for evidence for using ANTT:

  • Clare S, Rowley S (2018) Implementing the Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT®) clinical practice framework for aseptic technique: a pragmatic evaluation using a mixed methods approach in two London hospitals. Journal of Infection Prevention 19(1), 6-15.
  • Khurana, S., Saini, S. S., Sundaram, V., Dutta, S., Kumar, P. (2018) Reducing Healthcare-associated Infections in Neonates by Standardizing and Improving Compliance to Aseptic Non-touch Techniques: A Quality Improvement Approach. Indian Pediatrics 55(15), 748-752.
  • Simarmatar, R., Indriani, S. (2017) Implementation of “Aseptic Non Touch Technique” (ANTT®) for Procedure IV Preparation and Administration, IV Cannulation and Blood Sampling to Reduce HAIs Rate at Premier Jatinegara Hospital [poster]. 4th International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control held 20-23 June 2017. Switzerland
  • Flynn, J., Keogh, S. J., Gavin, N. S. (2015) Sterile v aseptic non-touch technique for needle-less connector care on central venous access devices in a bone marrow transplant population: A comparative study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 19(6), 694-700.
  • Mulalib, M., Evans, V., Hughes, A., Hill, S. (2015) Aseptic Non Touch Technique and Catheter Related Blood Stream Infection in children receiving total parental nutrition at home. United European Gastroenterology Journal 3(4), 393-398.
  • Rowley S, Clare S (2009) Improving standards of aseptic practice through an ANTT trust-wide implementation process: a matter of prioritization and care. Journal of Infection Prevention 10(Sup 1), S18-S23.
  • Ramachandran, A., Agarwal R., Hopkins, C., Madhu, R., Panwar, J., Killbride, C., Stichova, S., Gurreebun, F. (2009) Audit on the impact of ANTT (Aseptic Non Touch Technique) on reducing infection in neonates with central lines. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 107(S2), S93–S396. 


Please print ANTT practice terms correctly as below

ANTT has a small number of important practice terms that explicitly describe practice, as defined by the ANTT Clinical Practice Framework. These should always written in the same way, using the same combination of upper & lower case letters, hyphens and written in a non-abbreviated form.


  • ANTT Clinical Practice Framework
  • Standard-ANTT
  • Surgical-ANTT
  • Key-Part & Key-Site Protection
  • Key-Part  
  • Key-Site
  • General Aseptic Field
  • Critical Aseptic Field
  • Micro Critical Aseptic Field


  • Gorski, L. A., Hadaway, L., Hagle, M., Broadhurst, D., Clare, S., Kleidon, T., Meyer, B., Nickel, B., Rowley, S., Sharp, E., & Alexander, M.A. (2021). Infusion therapy standards of practice. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 44(supl1).



  • Pittiruti M, Van Boxtel T, et al. (2021). European recommendations on the proper indication and use of peripheral venous access devices (the ERPIUP consensus): A WoCoVA project. The Journal of Vascular Access. 4:11297298211023274. 


  • National Health and Medical Research Council in collaboration with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (2019) Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare.