Infection prevention and control
Standard precautions for every patient
Treat every patient as potentially infectious. Perform hand hygiene at the WHO five moments, before glove use and after removal; bare below the elbows; use PPE matched to the task (gloves, mask, eye protection, gown) and change it between patients. Handle sharps directly into a puncture-resistant container at the point of use, never recap by hand, and never overfill. Clean spills with a spill kit and follow the manufacturer's contact time.
The reprocessing chain
Transport instruments in closed containers to a dirty-to-clean workflow: clean (washer-disinfector preferred, or manual with detergent and thorough rinsing), inspect, dry, package, sterilise, store. Benchtop sterilisers are covered by AS/NZS 4815; facility sterilisers by AS/NZS 4187. Wrapped or hollow items need a Class B (or validated Class S) cycle - a Class N cycle is for unwrapped solid items and cannot be stored. Monitor every load with physical parameters and a chemical indicator, and run biological (spore) monitoring at the frequency required by the standard and manufacturer. Record every cycle and keep pouches dry and intact; wet packaging means reprocess.
Worked example
A pouch of extraction forceps comes out of a Class B cycle with a passing chemical indicator but visible moisture inside the pouch. The barrier is compromised, so the load is not released: re-dry, re-package and re-sterilise, and record the event.
Traps
Using a Class N cycle for wrapped instruments; topping up ultrasonic baths instead of changing solution; storing pouches in a dusty drawer; skipping dental unit waterline flushing; not reporting a sharps injury.