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Every Practice Needs An Infection Control Coordinator

Every Practice Needs An Infection Control Coordinator
by Richard Gawel

Effective infection control is an essential responsibility of every healthcare provider. Yet as dental practices juggle an ever-expanding list of demands involving clinical care, insurance regulations, financial management, marketing and promotion, and much more, ensuring the safety of patients and professionals alike gets equally difficult—and sometimes overlooked.

Jessica S. Wilson, MPH, an infection prevention and instrument management specialist with Hu-Friedy, discussed the critical role of infection control during a seminar at the Greater New York Dental Show in New York City on Tuesday, November 29. After her presentation, she shared additional insights with Dentistry Today—and why each dental office needs an infection control coordinator to maintain best practices.

Q: Generally speaking, why is infection control so important?

A: Infection control is not new for the healthcare profession and the dental care environment. Every patient deserves a safe visit to the dentist, and healthcare providers deserve to work in a safe environment free from the transmission of infectious diseases while they’re trying to perform their clinical tasks. So, there are little nuances of infection control that without attention being paid to it and the changes in technology, and the evolution of products in the dental environment, that can contribute to infectious disease transmission. So, there’s a need for education and awareness, just to make sure that we’re doing the things we're supposed to be doing.

Read full article on Dentistry Today.