Orthotown May 2017 - 45

by Andrea Cook
Andrea Cook is a clinical consultant for orthodontic
offices across the country. Cook works with teams
to increase efficiency, improve communication and
to guide the office to a new level of excellence. She
has extensive experience with single- and multidoctor practices, including those that see more
than 120 patients per day.
Information: andreacookconsulting.com.

Most of my clients say they'd be happiest if they could focus
on just moving teeth, because practice management is one of the
most challenging and frustrating parts of their job. Management
of sterilization, OSHA and instrument reprocessing are some of
the least favorite areas of the orthodontic office.
The most current recommendations for infection control
and instrument reprocessing come from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental
Health-Care Settings, 2003. Understanding the CDC guidelines
is the first step toward developing and implementing systems that
will help your team gain compliance, but many offices struggle to
make sense of them.
In March 2016, the CDC released an update to its 2003 guidelines.
The additional recommendations are more administrative in nature,
rather than changes to any existing protocols. The new document,
Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings Basic
Expectations for Safe Care and Companion Checklist,1 summarizes
existing recommendations to make them easier to understand and
use in dental settings, including orthodontic practices. The summary
focuses on standard precautions and the foundation for preventing
transmission of infectious agents during patient care; it is intended to
supplement the existing CDC recommendations, not replace them.
The resource includes tools to help team members follow
infection prevention guidelines:
* A summary of basic infection-prevention principles and
recommendations for dental settings.
* A checklist to evaluate dental staff compliance with
administrative and clinical practice infection-prevention
recommendations.
The following is a list of CDC recommendations that all offices
must incorporate into their practices.

Administrative measures
*

Develop and maintain written infection-prevention policies
and procedures appropriate for the services provided by the
facility and based upon evidence-based guidelines, regulations or standards.
Reassess infection-prevention policies and procedures at least
annually (or according to state or federal requirements).

*
*

Assign at least one individual trained in infection prevention
responsibility for coordinating the program.
Provide supplies necessary for adherence to standard
precautions, such as hand-hygiene products, safer devices to
reduce injuries, and personal protective equipment.
Ensure the facility has a system for early detection and
management of potentially infectious persons at initial points
of patient encounter.

Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
*

*
*
*
*

Implement measures to contain respiratory secretions in
patients and accompanying individuals who have signs and
symptoms of a respiratory infection, beginning at point of
entry to the facility and continuing throughout the visit.
Post signs at office entrances, with instructions to patients
with symptoms of respiratory infection to:
º Cover their mouths/noses when coughing or sneezing.
º Use and dispose of tissues.
º Perform hand hygiene after hands have been in contact
with respiratory secretions.
Provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for their disposal.
Provide resources for performing hand hygiene in or near
the waiting area.
Offer masks to coughing patients and other symptomatic
persons when they enter the dental setting.
Provide space and encourage people with symptoms of respiratory infections to sit as far away from others as possible.
If available, facilities may wish to place these patients in a
separate area while waiting for care.
Educate dental health care professionals on the importance
of infection-prevention measures to contain respiratory
secretions and help prevent the spread of respiratory
pathogens when examining and caring for patients with signs
and symptoms of a respiratory infection.

Infection prevention education and training
Maintain training records according to state and federal requirements.

orthotown.com \\ MAY 2017

http://www.andreacookconsulting.com http://www.orthotown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown May 2017