Dr. Sheilia Dunn
President & CEO of Quality America Inc.
www.quality-america.com
|
Ask the expert
In our Ask the Expert column, Dr. Sheila Dunn dishes out clear, concise and, sometimes, hilarious answers to those pesky customer questions that keep sales reps awake at night. Just think: The next time a customer asks you something like, "Who says we have to fix that gaping hole in our patient chair?" or "How come we have to use safety sharps?" You can come back with a witty repartee to put the lid on those concerns. So, come on ... Ask the Expert. E-mail your questions to AskTheExpert@MDSI.org.
Pound wise, but penny foolish
Q: I’m trying to sell a disinfectant to my dental accounts, but many of them are using either bleach or plain old alcohol to clean operatories to save money. If bleach and alcohol are acceptable, how can I convince my accounts to switch?
A: Alcohol isn’t approved for cleaning patient care areas. OSHA stipulates only EPA-registered disinfectants, approved as effective against Hepatitis B, for these areas. Although chlorine bleach is appropriate, it’s not always the best choice (see box).
Your customers also need to check the disinfectant label for how to use it, the amount to use and the length of time the disinfectant must remain wet on the surface to be effective. These are all selling points, because some disinfectants (when you read the fine print) need to be left on the surface for up to 30 minutes to be effective! That would mean that the operatory would need to remain empty for that period of time between patients. In your dreams! Another consideration for selecting a disinfectant is its toxicity to humans and surfaces. Bleach is a corrosive, and disinfectants containing phenolics are toxic to humans and leave a residue.
Finally, give this same message to accounts that use liquid chemical sterilants (e.g., glutaraldehyde) for disinfecting countertops, exam tables, chairs, floors or walls. Chemical sterilants should also never be used to clean up blood or body fluid spills, either!
Kitty litter for spill kit
Q: I noticed a big bag of kitty litter in one of my accounts. When I asked what it was for, they told me that they make it into biohazardous spill kits. Just thought you’d like to know.
A: For every person with a spark of genius, there are a hundred with ignition trouble. Kitty litter makes a wonderful "absorbent" component of a home-made spill kit, except for two little problems. Commercial spill kits have an expiration date, when the absorbent powder no longer functions to draw up liquid. I’ve never seen an expiration date on kitty litter (but then I’ve never looked for one either!), so they will find out that the kitty litter is kaput when an employee drops a whole tray of bloody instruments! The second problem is that by the time someone has driven to Piggly Wiggly and back, opened the bag and poured litter into little zip-lock bags, then combined it with a scoop, disinfectant and gloves, they’ve just spent lots more than what it would have cost to buy a spill kit.
Finally, if this had been your dentist and you noticed a big bag of cat litter, would you have reservations about trusting this doc with your new TMJ problem? Nuff said. Thanks for sharing. [FI]
Why a "Bargain" Disinfectant May Not Be a Bargain
| Disinfectant |
Downside |
| Chlorine bleach |
- Toxic
- Bad odor...imagine sitting in a dental chair breathing bleach fumes!
- Corrosive, may damage surfaces and instruments
- Inactivated by organic matter, so mucous, blood, etc. must be removed first before disinfecting
- Must make up fresh solutions daily*
*Use a 1:100 dilution (0.25 cup of bleach
per gallon of water) for decontaminating nonporous surfaces or a 1:10 dilution (1.5 cups of bleach per gallon of water) for spills involving large amounts of blood or body fluids.
|
| Alcohol |
- Not recommended for cleaning surfaces
- Only use for disinfecting small non-critical items between patients (e.g., stethoscopes) or as a skin antiseptic
- Has a long contact time (10 minutes)
- May swell or harden certain plastics or rubber
- May dry and irritate the skin
|
|
