Dental Office Compliance of New England, LLC

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Infection Control: Cybersecurity for the Dental Office

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cybersecurity in the dental world
CyberSecurity In The Dental World

Cybersecurity is the way to keep digital platforms safe from hackers. It is a top priority for anyone working with critical information that’s held in technology. If you have patients’ personal information online, wouldn’t you want to keep it safe? If you have actual patients in your office, wouldn’t you want to keep them safe too? Infection control is the cybersecurity of a dental office. Staying on top of infection control protocols keeps practices and patients safe from not only germs and other hazards, but from the dental board and other government agencies shutting down the practice.

Infection control is arguably one of the most important aspects of a dental office. Sure, the actual treatment of patients is important too, but no one wants to treat a patient with unsanitary or not properly sterilized tools that could grow bacteria, or lead to sickness and in some cases death of a patient! Focusing on infection control as soon as possible greatly decreases your risk of harming patients, and even yourselves. You have the same amount of risk of getting harmed as a patient does when you are not following infection control procedures properly. Despite the risk of illness that is being placed upon everyone involved in the office, the risk of your practice getting shut down is also quite prevalent. Government agencies are real sticklers for infection control protocols being strictly and clearly followed in dental offices. So, if you decide not to take infection control seriously, your practice is at a much higher risk for violation. The dental board, for example, could come into your office at any time and notice all of the procedures that are not being followed and issue violations! Don’t fret, there’s a way to prevent this. Make infection control your priority, similarly to how cybersecurity is the priority of the digital world.

People focus so much on keeping their internet accounts and classified information away from hackers by prioritizing cybersecurity, so why not prioritize infection control too? Doesn’t it seem like it would help protect you in the same way cybersecurity does? Celebrate cybersecurity month by staying on top of your infection control!

How to handle a patient who seems to be under the weather

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Identifying ill patients should be seemingly straightforward, but for some, there can still be a certain level of ambiguity.

Everyone should’ve learned about it in grade school: If you’re sick, stay home. Unfortunately, there are times when patients don’t heed that advice and show up for their scheduled visit, putting the practice’s staff and the other patients at risk. What should be done if a visibly ill patient shows up for his or her visit? Send him or her home.

“Per the CDC, you’re not supposed to see them,” says Dr. Lisa Kane, DMD, a dental consultant at Dental Office Compliance of New England. “I know that’s not what most people do, but you’re not supposed to treat them. It’s dangerous for the staff and for other patients. If there’s someone in the office who’s elderly or immunocompromised, it’s also dangerous for that patient because they could get an infection. I tell people that if you have someone who’s contagious in any sort of way, send them back—unless it’s an emergency. If it’s an emergency, then find some place that has proper airborne precautions, like a hospital.”

Read the full article here.

Dental Infection Control Awareness Month – DICAM

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dicam19 dental

Dental Infection Control Awareness Month Toolkit

September is Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM), and we need to “Take Safety Viral!” We challenge you, whether it’s you as an individual, your practice, or your workplace, to share how you take safety seriously in the dental trade.

Whether you’re a dental clinician, consultant, educator, or part of the dental trade, we encourage you to participate in #DICAM19 and help us take safety viral! Check out all the great tools we have put together to help you promote patient safety and awareness.

Each week, we will be showcasing one specific element of dental infection control. We encourage you to participate, even if your focus is on a different aspect of dental infection control than what our weekly theme is.

  • Week one (09/01 – 09/07): Hand Hygiene
  • Week two (09/08 – 09/14): Dental Unit Waterlines
  • Week three (09/15 – 09/21): Personal Protective Equipment
  • Week four (09/22 – 09/30): Instrument Sterilization

Social Media Toolkit

Post these graphics on the social media of your choice, tag OSAP, and join the conversation using the hashtag #DICAM19! Show all the ways that you practice patient safety every single day.

Not sure of our social media handles? We can help!

The link below contains images and suggested messaging for your social media profiles, just in case you needed some inspiration.

 

If you have any problems downloading the social media toolkit, please email us for assistance.

Materials to Help Build Patient Trust

Educate your patients about what your practice is doing to protect them. Clinicians don’t usually bring it up, and patients may be too shy to ask, so we’ve provided free campaign materials to help you start — and continue — this important conversation!

CDC Checklist In Action

This checklist includes several recommendations and provides an assessment checklist to evaluate staff compliance. The CDC has also provided an on-demand webinar about these tools.

Beyond DICAM

To kick-start all of the basics in dental infection control, OSAP is holding our annual Dental Infection Control Boot Camp™. This is a 3-day intense, fast-paced educational course presented by national and international experts in dental infection prevention and patient safety. Held in Chicago, IL, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, this fundamental level course will provide a comprehensive review of all the basics in dental infection control.

This course offers 25+ hours of CE credit plus a copy of the newly updated OSHA & CDC Guidelines: OSAP Interact Training System – 6th Edition workbook, checklists, tools, and much more.

Understanding the Responsibility of Infection Prevention and Control: The Importance of Written Documents

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TEAM HUDDLE:

Understanding the Responsibility of Infection Prevention and Control: The Importance of Written Documents

Dental infection prevention and control is a system of policies and procedures de- signed to ensure the use of best practices to enhance safety and reduce the risk of transmitting potentially dangerous microbes from the treatment environment and support areas. An effective infection control program hinges on the understanding of the WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW of the preventive policies and procedures as well as techniques that enhance compliance.

Read the full article in : Infection Control In Practice -> Click Here

HAS YOUR DENTAL UNIT WATERLINE BECOME A BACTERIAL METROPOLIS?

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO KEEP YOUR DENTAL WATERLINES CLEAN

For decades, dental professionals have known microorganisms were colonizing the waterlines of their dental units. Ample evidence shows the narrow tubing, low flow rates, and frequent stagnation periods found in water delivery systems create the ideal metropolis for biofilms. These slimy mats of bacteria cling to the walls of the plastic tubes, sloughing off countless individual organisms into the water as it passes by.

Read more Here.

Dental Office Compliance Waterlines

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