This week’s TIPisode is with Noel Brandon-Kelsch.
Do we need to really clean AND disinfect? Noel answers a listeners question on this week’s episode.
Medicom sponsors this episode. Head over to their website and learn more about their SafeMask to keep you and your patient protected
https://www.medicom.com/en
Noel Brandon-Kelsch is an international speaker, writer, Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice and Director of Cabrillo College Dental Hygiene Program. She is passionate about oral health and has the uncanny ability to motivate and enlighten audiences through her unique humor and cutting edge information. She takes the tough subject matter and presents it in such an exciting way that it becomes thought-provoking even to those not involved in her industry.
Noel is an infection control guru and is going to bring us tips that can make use more informed clinicians!
Check out her webpage noelkelsch.com
A Transcription of this TIPisode for your Viewing Pleasure:
Michelle Strange: A Tale of Two Hygienists presents this week’s TIPisode: Quick and easy tips to keep you up to date, and presented by the experts in the profession. Now, get ready for your unofficial TIPisode.
Noel Kelsch: Hi. This is Noel Kelsch bringing you a TIPisode. We had a great question that came form a listener in Denver, Colorado. Anna wrote and asked us “We have a debate going on in our office. Some people say that turning a room over means that we have to clean and disinfect. It’s always a two-step process. And another person in the office is stating it’s a one-step process because that’s what it says on the label.”
Well, I really am happy that you’re reading labels. It’s really important that we all read the instructions for use when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting those environmental surfaces. It’s important, though, to not just go by the name of the product but to read the actual directions. So, if it says one step, is it saying one step to clean, one step to disinfect? Because that’s what the process requires.
The CDC is very specific about what they have to say and they say that cleaning is the necessary first step in any disinfection process when we’re looking at a clinical contact surface. Remember, we have to step back here for a minute and look at what cleaning does. Cleaning removes all that organic matter, the visible soils, all the faults [sounds like 00:06:20] that come along with that, and all of — which can interfere with the thing that we really want to have happen here. We want to inactivate anything microbial.
In order to do that, we first have to get the debris out of the ways. The physical action of scrubbing with detergents and surfactants and then rinsing with water removes substantial numbers of microorganisms along with that, which is an added benefit.
If the surface isn’t cleaned first, the success of disinfection process [sic] can be futile. It’s not going to happen because you can’t get to the bacteria. Removal of all visible blood and inorganic or organic material is crucial. It’s a big part of what we got to do here. In order for the germicidal activity to happen with that disinfecting agent, it has to reach that bacteria. It has to reach that virus.
So, to answer your question, I have yet to see a study that showed me where you could do it in one step. You got to clean first. When a surface can’t be cleaned adequately, what we have to do is step back and go “Hey, there’s too many nooks, too many crannies.” That’s where you’re going to look at barrier protection, something that we’ll talk about in the future.
I hope that you’re thinking about discussing things in your office, that you’re going to be open to talk about the things that work and the things that don’t work and to step back and look at what we’re trying to accomplish here.
Cleaning and disinfecting of environmental surfaces means we got to get down to those microorganisms. We first have to remove the debris before we can do that.
Thank you for being here today. I want to thank our sponsors at Medicom for making this happen.
Michelle Strange: This TIPisode was brought to you by Medicom. Head over to Medicom.com and check out their products. They have gloves, mask [sic], sterilization pouches, and so much more. Make sure you take infection control into your hands with the best products. Check out Medicom.com.
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