Healthcare Hygiene magazine May 2021 May 2021 | Page 42

Plain or Antibacterial Soap ? What Percentage of Ethanol ?

Except for pre-surgery hand hygiene , it is totally acceptable to use a plain lotion or foaming soap . Alternatively , an antibacterial lotion or foaming soap with benzalkonium chloride ( BZK ) or similar active may be selected . When selecting hand sanitizers and rubs for non-pre-surgery use , anything over 60 percent ethanol is acceptable although many providers are migrating to products with 70 percent and even 80 percent ethanol for the additional efficacy they can provide .

Here is an at-a-glance look at the Four Tiers of Hand Hygiene and which products are appropriate based on both clinical and economic considerations .

Table 3 : Hand Hygiene Product Selection Guide

•

The best way to help ensure that your team knows and follows proper hand hygiene practices is to provide effective ongoing education and training .

Hand hygiene consistency , diligence and vigilance are every day “ musts ” for any dental practice and adherence to the above recommendations should provide significantly reduced risk for the spread of infections , especially in today ’ s pandemic environment .

References :

1 . Hand Hygiene Recommendations . Guidance for Healthcare providers about hand hygiene and COVID-19 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Updated May 17 , 2020 . https :// www . cdc . gov / coronavirus / 2019-ncov / hcp / hand-hygiene . html #:~: text = Hand % 20hygiene % 20is % 20an % 20important , and % 20infections % 20 in % 20healthcare % 20settings .

2 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings : Basic Expectations for Safe Care . Atlanta , GA : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , U . S . Dept . of Health and Human Services ; October 2016 . https :// www . cdc . gov / oralhealth / infectioncontrol / pdf / safe-care2 . pdf 3 . Recommendations from the Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental

Health-Care settings – 2003 . https :// www . cdc . gov / oralhealth / infectioncontrol / pdf / recommendations-excerpt . pdf 4 . Guidance for Dental Settings . Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Dental Settings During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) Pandemic . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Updated December 4 , 2020 . https :// www . cdc . gov / coronavirus / 2019-ncov / hcp / dental-settings . html https :// success . ada . org / en / practice-management / dental-practice-success / dps-spring-2020 / hand-hygiene-for-the-dental-team

6 . Dentistry workers and employers . Occupational Safety and Health

Administration . https :// www . osha . gov / coronavirus / control-prevention / dentistry https :// www . osha . gov / coronavirus / safework 8 . OSHA Compliance Dental Professional . Institute for Dental Compliance and

Risk Management . https :// dentalcomplianceinstitute . org / dental-osha-training / 9 . Medical and Dental Offices . A Guide to Compliance with OSHA Standards . https :// www . osha . gov / sites / default / files / publications / osha3187 . pdf 10 . Dentistry . Occupational Safety and Health Administration . https :// www . osha . gov / dentistry 11 . Interim Enforcement Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ). https :// www . osha . gov / memos / 2020-04-13 / interim-enforcement-responseplan-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Paul Alper , BA , led the launch of PURELL ®, invented the first electronic hand hygiene monitoring system proven to reduce infections while improving behavior and eliminating costs and is now the VP Patient Safety Innovation for Medline Industries , Inc . through an exclusive engagement with his consulting practice , Next Level Strategies , LLC .

42 may 2021 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com