Tightening your infection control
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 15th November 2021
Infection control remains a hot topic. Not only are we still dealing with a global pandemic, but now as we head into the colder part of the year there are the usual seasonal threats to contend with.
While viruses such as influenza and the common cold are challenges that dental professionals will be familiar with, there are concerns that this flu season is going to be a particularly bad one.[i] After a year of virtually non-existent flu cases due to precautions such as mask-wearing and hand sanitising, the immunity levels in the population are much lower than usual. Therefore, it is predicted that flu cases are likely to be more widespread.
In light of this, it’s a smart idea to look at ways to tighten your infection control measures and streamline your processes in practice. One option is to invest in a washer disinfector. These systems are not only highly effective, but also bring a number of advantages that can help you maximise your daily infection control routine.
An added element of protection
Washer disinfectors offer the gold-standard for instrument cleaning, meaning that they not only clean instruments of blood, bone fragments and other potentially infectious substances, but also destroy all pathogens that could be on these instruments, making them safe to reuse.
Although washing instruments by hand is still a viable option, this process has a much higher potential for human error and involves risks of re-contamination during the washing and drying process. Plus, there is also the risk of injury occurring, which may be dangerous for staff, especially if wounds are exposed to infectious substances from instruments that could potentially be carrying disease. Therefore, a washer disinfector is a safer, more effective choice, guaranteeing your instruments are cleaned and disinfected.
Efficiency in a modern world
One of the biggest concerns in modern dentistry is time. Under current guidelines, dental professionals are still required to wear enhanced PPE and there are other measures that mean that providing pre-pandemic levels of care is impossible.[ii] Plus, with patient demand for appointments remaining consistently high since services re-opened, it can be difficult to juggle the time you have available.
As such, it makes sense to invest in systems that can help you to maximise the time you have available in practice. Depending on the system you choose, a washer disinfector usually has a large capacity that can accommodate hundreds of instruments per cycle. This means that for larger loads, washer disinfectors are likely to be more efficient than hand washing. Plus, these systems also dry the instruments, meaning that less labour is required and that your instruments are ready to use in a much shorter time-frame, especially during busy periods.
Additionally, washer disinfectors tend to have numerous features that help to ensure a reliable high standard of disinfection. From inbuilt water softeners to prevent hard water impacting efficiency to doors with automatic locking that ensure that cycles aren’t compromised, these functions mean that you can rely on these systems to provide exceptional results time and time again, all with the touch of a button.
Aiding compliance and record-keeping
It always pays to ensure that you know when cycles are being performed and that test cycles have been carried out in order to keep compliant. Some washer disinfectors will have inbuilt digital functionality especially for record keeping, meaning that cycles are instantly recorded. These systems may also be able to automate test cycles and other essential functions in order to facilitate absolute compliance.
The Miele PG8581 Underbench Washer Disinfector from Eschmann, comes with Little Sister Autolog – a wireless device for automated record-keeping of cycles that can also remotely perform test cycles to ensure that remaining compliant is easy and stress-free. Additionally, the system boasts a large capacity that can hold up to 360 instruments and has cycles that are complete in under an hour, helping you to reliably streamline your infection control and provide an outstanding quality of care.
Better prepared for every challenge
There are always going to be new challenges for dental practices to overcome, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared. New infections will come and go, but by investing in a system like a washer disinfector, you can rest assured that you are doing your bit to improve infection control in your practice and keep everyone safe.
For more information on the highly effective and affordable range of infection control products from Eschmann, please visit www.eschmann.co.uk or call 01903 875787
[i] The Guardian. Is The UK In For A Bumper Flu Season This Year? Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/25/is-the-uk-in-for-a-bumper-flu-season-this-winter [Last accessed August 21].
[ii] BDA. Where is Dentistry’s Roadmap? Link: https://bda.org/news-centre/blog/Pages/Where-is-dentistrys-roadmap.aspx [Last accessed August 21].
