Infection control, most obviously (and importantly), is about patient and staff safety. You use dozens of products and tools in your office every day to protect patients from harm and ensure your team members go home every night happy and healthy. You want those products to do everything from provide a shield against radiation to sterilize instruments and kill germs on surfaces.
But do you ever consider how those products effect you directly? Are they easy to use? If it’s personal protective equipment, is it comfortable to wear? These are important considerations because any product that’s difficult to use or causes you to itch or sweat is likely to not be used properly (or maybe not used at all). The result of that, of course, is diminished staff and patient safety.
Richmond Dental & Medical takes these aspects of infection control products into consideration when designing and manufacturing them. Take, for instance, Level III Path-O-Guard® Face Mask. They do everything you want a level III mask to do: meet ASTM-2100 standards (98% bacterial filtration efficiency, 98% submicron particle filtration efficiency at 0.1 micron, < 5.0 mm H2O/cm2 differential pressure, 160 mmHg resistance to synthetic blood penetration, and Class 1 flame spread). But they’re also made of 3-ply spun bound fabric for comfort, filtration, and breathability. In addition, the masks have an aluminum nose piece that maintains its shape when formed to the face.
Another product from Richmond Dental that takes the dentist and practice experience into consideration is SteriPocket®. Each SteriPocket contains two pre-sterilized cotton-filled or rayon/poly nonwoven sponges. They’re perfect for handing to patients after an extraction. The MultiPly SteriPocket has added layers for heavy bleeding. Whether the patient places the SteriPocket in a purse or wallet, the sponges remain sterile until opened. In addition, they save time—you don’t have to autoclave and package sponges—and money—the number of packages can be controlled.
Think about patient safety, ease of use, and comfort the next time you’re choosing an infection control product. Yes, you want that product to provide evidence-based protection, but you also want it to fit into your workflow.
