# 10 Environmental Infection Control Flashcards
What does Environmental infection control consist of?
1) Managing contamination of surfaces
2) Proper handing & disposal of medical waste
What are the CLINICAL CONTACT SURFACES?
- Directly touched
- Barriers/Clean & Disinfect
What are the HOUSEKEEPING SURFACES?
- Walls, floors, office furniture
- Requires regular cleaning
What are 2 ways you can take control?
1) Protect yourself
2) Always use appropriate PPE when performing cleaning and disinfection procedures
What are some clinical contact surfaces that may be DIRECTLY CONTACTED by contaminated instruments devices, gloves or hands?
- Light handles,
- Xrays equipment
- Reusable container of renal materials
- countertops
- pencils
- cell phones
When should Dental Units be cleaned and disinfected?
AT the BEGINNING of EVERY DAY, at the END of every day and in BETWEEN patients if barriers are compromised or surfaces are contaminated
What are the steps for Surface Disinfection of the Dental Units?
1) Don Appropriate PPE
2) Select surface disinfectant
3) CLEAN surface/WIPE (1-3 min)
- Remove soil, and dirt
4) Disinfect surface/allow surface to remain moist for contact time stated by manufac.
5) WIPE surface DRY
6) No SPRAY/WIPE/SPRAY
(b/c of mist in the air–aerosols)
Cover all ______________ surfaces with a barrier wrap.
ALL CLINICAL CONTACT SURFACES
Wrap plastic w/ clean hands
What should you do in between patients?
- Wear gloves, gowns, when removing barriers after treatment
- Use care not to contaminate surface underneath (if contaminated, clean & disinfect before wrapping)
- Discard used covers in trash
- Remove & discard gloves, wash hands, and apply fresh covers w/ clean hands
What re the housekeeping surfaces?
-Surfaces that rewire regular cleaning to remove SOIL and DUST
- AVOID use of carpet & fabric in dental operators
- Diverse population of microbes thrive in BOTH
What are (4) Surface Disinfectants?
1) Chloride-Based produces
- chlorine dioxide or sodium hypochlorite
2) Phenolic Solutions
- phenol, phenyl, phenate and amylphenol
3) Iodophors & Iodine based solutions
4) Quaternary ammonium compounds
Note: Use utility gloves and make sure it is TB Tuberculocidal to kill TB
What does a low, intermediate, and high level of disinfectant do?
Low= KILLS microorganisms
-
**Intermediate= Tuberculocidal
(recommendation)
High= DESTROYS ALL MICROBES but not necessarily HIGH #’s of bacterial spores
What are the General Recommendations for cleaning/disinfection process?
- Physical removal of microbes by cleaning
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for proper use of EPA registered hospital disinfectants
- DONT use sterilant/high-level disinfectants on environmental surfaces
- Use appropriate precautions (e.g utility gloves, mask, eyewear) when cleaning & disinfecting environment surfaces
What are the choices for the Environmental surface asepsis?
1) Disposable covers
2) Spray-Wipe-Sprary
(liquid cleaners & disinfectants)
3) Wipe-discard-wipe
(disposable disinfectant wipes)
Note: Just Pick 2!
What is the Disinfectant Guide?
- There are acceptable disinfectant agent choices
- No single chemical may satisfy all disinfection requirements in a given practice
- Consideration of multiple factors is important
- Degree of anti-microbial killing required
- Nature of surface/item to be treated
- Cost, safety, and ease of produce use
-Selection of 1 produce w/ a HIGHER POTENCY to cover all situations may be more convenient
What are the ADVANTAGES of Chemical Disinfectants: Alcohols
1) Rapidy bactericidal
2) Good antiseptic & disinfectant activity
3) Denatures & dehydrates microbe proteins
4) Tuberculocidal & virucidal
5) Only slightly irritating
6) Historical perception
7) Economical
What are the DISADVANTAGES Disinfectants: Alcohols
1) Not sporicidal
2) Diminished activity with biodurden
3) Damage to materials
4) Rapid evaporation rate
5) Not recommended for use by itself
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Quaternary Ammoniums? ADVANTAGES?
1) Cationic detergents- serve as good cleaning agents
2) Alter microbial cell membrane permeability
3) Rapidly bactericidal against gram + bacteria
4) ONLY slightly irritating low tissue toxicity
5) Economical
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Quaternary Ammoniums? DISADVANTAGES?
1) Not tuberculocidal, sporicidal, or virucidal against many hydrophilic viruses
2) Many bacteriostatic
3) Inactivated by anionic detergents (soaps)
4) Inactivated by organic matter
5) Evidence suggesting variable activity against gram - bacteria
6) Not recommended for use by themselves
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Hypochlorites, ADVANTAGES?
1) Rapid antimicorbial action
2) Acts as oxidation as hypochlorous acid–potent germicide
3) Good cleaning agent
4) Broad spectrum: uberculocidal, sporicidal, or virucidal (intermediate- level)
5) Effective in dilute soon (1:100 dilution in water)
6) Economical
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Hypochlorites, DISADVANTAGES?
1) Chemically unstable solution
2) Prepare fresh daily (some available products now premixed)
3) Diminshed activity w/ bioburden presence
4) Unpleasant odor at 1:100 dilution
5) Irritating to tissues
6) Corrosive metals
7) Damaging to clothing
8) Degrading to plastics & rubber
What are the forms of Iodine & Iodophors?
-Excellent anti-microbial in LOW concentrations(effective in historical effectiveness in medicine)
- tincture: idoine salts dissolved in alcohol
- irritating, allergenic, corrosion; stains skin clothing
*Iodophor: iodine + water soluble carrier
stabilizes the iodine w/ slow release of halogen from carrier molecule to tissues
-Minimizes toxicity effects
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Iodophors ADVANTAGES?
1) Rapid antimicrob acitvity
2) Broad spectrum
3) Tuberculcidal & virucidal
4) effective in dilute soln
5) surfactant carrier maintains surface moistness
6) residual anti-microbial activity after drying
What are the Chemical Disinfectants: Iodophors DISADVANTAGES?
1) Not sporicidal
2) Unstable @ high temps
3) dilution & contact time = critical for activity
4) daily preparation
5) Discoloration of some environmental surfaces
6) rust inhibitor
7) inactivated by hard water
