Patient Safety - Decontamination Flashcards
What is the definition of sterilisation?
The process of making something free from bacteria or other living organisms
What does manual cleaning do that sterilisation cannot do?
Sterilised does not have the ability to remove proteins or prions from instruments - must be removed at manual cleaning stage.
What are disadvantages of manual cleaning?
Member of staff is required to be present entire time
Risk of aerosol production
Risk of contaminating surrounding environment
Potential risk of inconsistency due to human error
Risk of sharps injuries
What are the 4 parts of the sinner circle?
Time
Temperature
Chemistry
Mechanics
When should manual cleaning be carried out?
When
Manufacturers guidelines specify
WD broken or in use
WD has not removed contamination
- What are the 5 stages of the water-disinfector and the temperature for eacg? *
FLUSH/ PREWASH - <35
MAIN WASH - temperature dependent on chemical used for process
RINSE - <65
THERMAL DISINFECTION - 90-95 for min 1 minute
DRYING - 100 (variable)
What happens in the Flush/ prewash stage of the WD?
Saturates the contamination and removes gross contamination
What happens in the main wash of the WD?
Supplemented by detergent to more effectively remove biological matter
What happens in the rinse stage of WD?
Removes the remaining residue, biological or chemical before disinfection
What happens in the thermal disinfection stage of WD?
Actively kills micro-organisms with the use of heated water
What happens in the drying stage of the WD?
This stage uses hot air to remove any remaining moisture from the surface of the instruments.
What is critical spaulding classification and examples?
Critical - instruments that could enter tissue or the vascular system - probe, scalers, needles
What types of instruments can you process through a Type N steriliser?
Rigid steel/ solid instrumentation with no pockets channels or lumens.
e.g. dental mirror, probe
Cannot process wrapped instruments, handpieces or ultrasonic scalers
What types of instruments can you process through a Type B steriliser?
CAN process wrapped instruments as steam can penetrate wrappings
What types of instruments can you process through a Type S steriliser?
Washes, lubricates and sterilises hand pieces.
Cannot process wrapped instruments
What is a daily test you can carry out on the sterilisers?
The bowie dick test - steam penetration
Drain steriliser reservoirs daily
What is a weekly test you can carry out on the sterilisers?
Air leakage test
Air detector function test (ADFT)
What are the stages in life/ processing cycle?
Cleaning
Disinfection
Inspection
Packaging
Sterilisation
Transport
Storage
Use
Transport
What guidance should be followed for cleaning and disinfection and steam sterilisation respectively?
Cleaning and disinfection - SHTM01-01 part D
Steam sterilisation - SHTM01-01 part C
How long are decon records kept?
13 years
Stages of the daily WD test?
Check spray arms rotate and jets are free from blockages
Check filter/ strainer for debris contamination or instruments
Check door seal for damage and cleanliness
Verify condition of load carrier
Record disinfection temperature of first cycle
What is semi-critical spaulding classification?
instruments that could contact mucosa but not pierce - dental mirror, impression trays
What is non-critical spaulding classification?
Non-critical - comes in to contact with intact skin only - x-ray cone
Types of water you can use
Reverse osmosis
Sterile
Distilled
De-ionised
