DTUK1010

April 19-25, 2010United Kingdom Edition What does cross infection control really mean? T here are various views about the aforementioned subject and although most dentists will adhere to the guidelines set out by the govern- ment, actually complying with them is an entirely different mat- ter. In order to continually meet the needs of the directives, it is important to gain the right sup- port, knowledge and experience to develop and advance the way in which your practice operates. Roughly interpreted - cross in- fection control, in its simplest form, is the non decontamina- tion of surgery instruments be- tween patients. Although this may be true, cross infection con- trol is far more complicated and broader based. In the following article, I will attempt to explain why it is im- portant to maintain your cross infection control equipment and the differences between Washer Disinfectors and autoclaves to- gether with the overall running of a safe and hygienic environment. In order to secure a completely decontaminated environment, make sure that your practice puts in place ‘dirty to clean surgery ar- eas.’ We now refer to this process as Decon360 (Dental Decontami- nation Room) to meet the latest HTM 01-05 directives. Implementing in-surgery cross infection control To comply with this directive in its entirety, make sure that you start with a ‘Dirty Instrument Set Down’ zone. This will always be positioned near to the entrance/ exit to ensure that contaminated instruments do not travel around the surgery. Within the same vicinity a built- in non-splash back sink(s) for i n s t r u m e n t w a s h i n g / rinsing can be integrat- ed with a knee-operated bin and optional waste chute underneath each sink unit. Moving to the next stage of the process, a washer dis- infector can be installed on or again underneath the work surface. (I will discuss options regarding the types of systems available). The fourth zone that needs to be considered in your Decon room is an ‘In strument Inspection’ area. Nor- mally the space above the wash- er disinfector can be used for initial instrument inspection af- ter washing and disinfection has taken place. Next door to this zone allo- cate space for your Autoclave(s) followed by a ‘Final inspection and packing area’ prior to stor- age or use of fully decontami- nated instruments. Your seventh and final zone will be set aside for ‘Instrument Storage’. These units can either be wall mounted or positioned as cabinets under- neath the final packing area. Additional points to con- sider in this first phase include: location of sink which needs to be placed in a neutral zone be- tween the clean and dirty areas. A single basin can also be wall mounted behind the entrance / exit as a final precaution. Delivering safe non-contami- nated instruments Applying strict cross infection control conditions to your work- ing environment is the best way of ensuring that cross contami- nation cannot take place. A well organised system can de- crease the risk of de- contamination which is why it is essen- tial to design your Decon room in stages. Always make sure that you leave space between equipment to allow for ease of access when an engineer attends to service and maintain your products. Thisimportantaspectofdeliv- ering non-contaminated instru- ments leads me to discuss how you go about choosing the right washer disinfector for your prac- tice followed by the type of auto- clave you should consider. Again, planning is the key to success. There are two primary elem- ents to consider for washer disinfectors: • Free-standing • Bench top Getting cross infec- tion control right Dave Gibson, discusses the advances in cross infection control and some of the ways you can secure a completely decontaminated environment in your dental practice page 20DTà ‘cross infection control, in its simplest form, is the non decontamination of surgery instruments between patients’