Reusable Medical Device Reprocessing Procedure

Purpose. This procedure sets out how reusable dental and medical instruments are transported, cleaned, inspected, packaged, sterilised, released, stored and tracked in the Warners Bay reprocessing room.

1.Scope and workflow

This procedure applies to all reusable instruments from the dental clinic and the Warners Bay treatment rooms. The reprocessing room is divided into a dirty zone, a clean zone and a sterile storage zone, and instruments must move in one direction only from dirty to sterile. Only staff who have completed reprocessing training and are named on the credential register may operate the steriliser or release a load.

2.Transport and cleaning

Used instruments must be placed in a closed, labelled container at the chair and carried to the dirty zone wearing heavy-duty gloves, gown, mask and eye protection. Instruments must be rinsed, then cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner or washer-disinfector according to the manufacturer's instructions, with the cycle recorded. Manual cleaning must be done below the water line with a soft brush.

3.Inspection and packaging

Every instrument must be inspected under the magnifier for residual soil, damage, corrosion and function before packaging. Damaged instruments must be removed and tagged. Instruments must be packaged in pouches or wrapped in the clean zone with a chemical indicator inside each pack and the pack labelled with the load number, date and operator.

4.Sterilisation

Loads must be placed in the steriliser so that steam reaches every surface, with pouches paper side up and not overloaded. The operator must select the cycle for the load type, run it, and check the printout or log for time, temperature and pressure. A Bowie-Dick or equivalent test must be run each day the steriliser is used and a biological indicator weekly.

• Daily air removal test before the first load
• Chemical indicator in every pack
• Biological indicator weekly and after any repair
• Cycle printout kept with the load record

5.Release and failed loads

A load may be released only when the cycle parameters are met, every external indicator has changed and the packs are dry and intact. The releasing operator must sign the load record in the Reprocessing Log. If any parameter or indicator fails, the entire load must be quarantined, recorded as failed, reprocessed, and the steriliser taken out of service until the fault is found.

6.Storage and tracking

Sterile packs must be stored in the sterile zone off the floor, away from sinks and rotated by date. The load number must be recorded in the patient's record for every procedure so that a recall can be run if a load is later found to have failed.

7.Equipment maintenance

The steriliser, ultrasonic cleaner and washer-disinfector must be validated annually and serviced to the manufacturer's schedule. Daily and weekly cleaning and checks must be recorded on the equipment card.