Michelle Aubé (Simmonds), RDH
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November 27, 2020
The question above in the title can be answered by a question… Who has first stated a DUWL system was needed and since when? The manufacturers of the DUWL’s have been the initiating source since the new design of equipment with a closed water system design. The water system is ‘closed’ to outside contamination...
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October 19, 2020
Some provinces require an ACH test and some do not.
Some require adherence to a specific fallow time and some do not.
For the geographical areas that must adhere to a fallow time, the sequence of the operatory turnover and where and when the clinical notes are written is causing some confusion and must be addressed.
A common question is when does the fallow time begin?
The fallow time begins when the clinician and client leave the operatory.
It does NOT begin when the last AGP was performed.
Why?
The reasoning is while the client is still in the operatory conversing with no mask there could be a chance for airborne transmission.
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October 14, 2020
Air quality has surfaced as a hot topic in the pandemic control measures for dental offices.
Air quality falls under Additional Precautions in a dental office's IPAC Program.
Pre-pandemic, offices were following Routine Practices covering hand hygiene, sharps safety, risk management, and personal protective equipment.
Additional precautions are just that, an addition to the routine practice.
Additional precautions are required during respiratory viral outbreaks such as SARS-COV-19.
Dental services are now categorized as either aerosol gas producing (AGP) or non-aerosol gas producing (NAGP) with each having its own lineup of PPE.
Aerosols have always been a known subject in dentistry.
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June 30, 2020
A hand hygiene program is embedded within the contents of an office's IPAC Program and is often ill-defined. Dental offices may be performing hand hygiene tasks, have procured the necessary products and posted directions for proper hand hygiene, however, it goes much further than this.
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April 22, 2020
In the last article, I discussed the need to reflect on DUWL as part of the pre-planning to eventually return to practice once the coronavirus pandemic emergency state is lifted. I received many inquiries on product selection ranging from a regular maintenance program to the ‘oh no my DUWL biofilm is out of control’ action program.
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April 08, 2020
In the current situation of dental office closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are varying degrees of concerns that dental professionals are facing. Myself, as an RDH working clinically and an IPAC educator, I have a constant barrage of "what’s and if’s" anxiously circling through my mind like a movie stuck on repeat.
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March 13, 2020
maxill is constantly doing research on any and every topic related to Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC). In the latest news releases, it is now common knowledge that a serious virus, the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is an evolving situation. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Sectors, PIDAC, CDC and WHO are all working diligently to ensure the containment of the virus and public awareness for surveillance. As learned from past outbreaks, (SARS) health care providers play a vital role in risk management and assessment. The role of the dental professional is to implement routine screening methods to identify individuals with acute respiratory infections.
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January 28, 2020
maxill is constantly doing research on any and every topic related to Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC). In the latest news releases, it is now common knowledge that a serious virus, the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is an evolving situation. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Sectors, PIDAC, CDC and WHO are all working diligently to ensure the containment of the virus and public awareness for surveillance.
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November 04, 2019
The maxill PCD is part of ‘Batch Monitoring’ in the quality assurance of sterilization. Currently Health Canada does not regulate PCDs and therefore the batch monitoring PCD is not listed as a medical device.
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April 05, 2019
When you're using a manufacturer process challenge device for stream sterilization, does a Type V chemical indicator still need to be placed in every package? The best approach to answering this question is to step back and review the job of the chemical indicators.