STERI ROOM TASKS
All reusable instruments in our dental practices (and in the dental industry as a whole) must be cleaned and sterilised every time they are used on patients. This occurs in the sterilisation room/bay and is fondly referred to as “Steri”.
The tasks required in steri range from morning tasks to set up the room for the day, through to cleaning and sterilising instruments during the day and closing steri at the end of each day.
These tasks are listed in daily checklists, however may vary from time to time based on the needs of the practice. Your clinical team lead (CTL) will advise you of any variations.
It is essential that you familiarise yourself with the requirements of steri and its processes, as this will allow for timely and efficient completion of tasks, and ensure your safety. Due to the number of sharp instruments that require processing, it is essential that appropriate safety rules are followed such as wearing heavy duty gloves when handling contaminated instruments.
Steri can be quiet one moment and very busy the next, so it is also essential that instruments are not allowed to pile up whilst waiting for processing, and that stock is replenished frequently. Having to process instruments quickly increases the risk of sharps injuries, so consistency is the key here.
This video demonstrates the use of the steri daily checklist, allowing us to ensure that tasks are performed in a consistent and timely manner.
These checklists are kept on the practice’s drive and must be updated daily. They provide evidence that tasks have been completed and are usually required as evidence in ensuring compliance with the practice’s infection prevention and control requirements.
INDIVIDUAL SURGERY TASKS
Just as we have daily checklists for steri, we also have them for each surgery. As the dental assistant, it is your responsibility to ensure that these checklists are completed for the surgery you are working in that day. You must complete all tasks as required, ensuring that the checklist is completed. As with the steri checklists, these individual surgery checklists are usually required as evidence in ensuring compliance with the practice’s infection prevention and control requirements.
The video to the left demonstrates the use of the individual surgery checklists that must be completed daily.
