Administrative Measures and Infection Prevention Education Training
Administrative Measures
Infection prevention must be made a priority in any dental health care setting. At least one individual with training in infection prevention — the infection prevention coordinator — should be responsible for developing written infection prevention policies and procedures based on evidence-based guidelines, regulations, or standards. Policies and procedures should be tailored to the dental setting and reassessed on a regular basis (e.g., annually) or according to state or federal requirements. Development should take into consideration the types of services provided by DHCP and the patient population served, extending beyond the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) bloodborne pathogens standard to address patient safety. The infection prevention coordinator should ensure that equipment and supplies (e.g., hand hygiene products, safer devices to reduce percutaneous injuries, and personal protective equipment) are available and should maintain communication with all staff members to address specific issues or concerns related to infection prevention. In addition, all dental settings should have policies and protocols for early detection and management of potentially infectious persons at initial points of patient encounter.[/vc_column_text]
- Develop and maintain infection prevention and occupational health programs.
- Provide supplies necessary for adherence to Standard Precautions (e.g., hand hygiene products, safer devices to reduce percutaneous injuries, personal protective equipment).
- Assign at least one individual trained in infection prevention responsibility for coordinating the program.
- Develop and maintain written infection prevention policies and procedures appropriate for the services provided by the facility and based on evidence-based guidelines, regulations, or standards.
- Facility has system for early detection and management of potentially infectious persons at initial points of patient encounter.
Infection Prevention Education and Training
Ongoing education and training of DHCP are critical for ensuring that infection prevention policies and procedures are understood and followed. Education on the basic principles and practices for preventing the spread of infections should be provided to all DHCP. Training should include both DHCP safety (e.g., OSHA bloodborne pathogens training) and patient safety (e.g., emphasizing job- or task-specific needs). Education and training should be provided during orientation to the setting, when new tasks or procedures are introduced and at a minimum, annually. Training records should be maintained according to state and federal requirements.
- Provide job- or task-specific infection prevention education and training to all DHCP.
a. This includes those employed by outside agencies and available by contract or on a volunteer basis to the facility.
- Provide training on principles of both DHCP safety and patient safety.
- Provide training during orientation and at regular intervals (e.g., annually).
- Maintain training records according to state and federal requirements.