February 19, 2010
From Feb 15 to 20, Dentistry's Central Sterilization Unit (CSU) joined other health-based CSPD Central Sterilization Processing Departments in raising awareness of their role in serving patients. Patients, university employees, and visitors to the Dentistry Building were greeted with a facilitated poster display near the main floor patient reception area and offered a guided tour of Dentistry's sterile processing facilities.
Sterile processing is a critical link to patient safety and dental education. Effective sterilization protects patients from cross-contamination and exposure to harmful germs. Within Nova Scotia, sterilization standards are set by and must meet Canadian Standards Association* approval.
Every school day, the four full- and two part-time technicians of Dentistry's Central Sterilization Unit (CSU) process up to 10,000 trayed dental instruments along with a few thousand bags of smaller dental implements. On an annual basis, approximately 250 supervised dentistry and dental hygiene students use these small tools to assess and treat 8-10,000 patients across 25,000 or so appointments. CSU also supplies sterilized equipment that students take with them and use at the Faculty's outreach clinics.
Upon receipt by CSU, used dental instruments are immediately machine-washed, rinsed, and dried to remove debris and to protect staff. During all processes, the trained sterilization technicians wear hair coverings, gowns, and designated footwear. Following the pre-wash, they inspect each item for cleanliness, wear, and other damage. Equipment trays are refilled and customized for specific dental work, such as scaling, cavity preparation, orthodontic procedures, etc. Depending on the type of dental implement, instruments are then sterilized with the use of steam, heat, or chemicals.
At a recent Faculty of Dentistry pandemic planning update, Bruce Moxley, Manager, Clinical Affairs and, Building Service, noted, "if two or three of our Sterilization Processing staff were out sick at the same time, we would not be able to operate our dental clinic for patients and student education."
* The Canadian Standards Association is a not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace.
http://www.csa.ca/cm/ca/en/about-csa
submitted by Greta Rasmussen, BAA(IT), MEd