pouching?

how many instruments can be put in each pouch for storage?

Hi there

We have all our instruments and hand pieces double bagged, all burs and files are sterile single use I don't pouch prophy brushes or cups I keep mine in little tubs so they are sealed. We don't send anything for sterilising like burs as they will be sent back undone with a note!
I don't ever let a clinician take things from the drawers i prefer to lay out the burs in a dappens for them if they want anything extra they ask me and I'll give them it.
It's maybe alot more different in practice though, certainly when I'm in theatre nothing can be left open that's why I rely in my tubs for the brushes and cups as everything else is sealed and sterile although I'm aware our budgets will be hugely different.

How many many items can you put in a pouch? - if the instruments have been sterilised before pouching?
- if the instruments are pouched then vacum sterlised?

Lets pouch ourselves.

We pouch nearly everything too - again we don't pouch prophy cups or brushes, but they are kept in sealed boxes overnight once removed from their original packaging.

We pouch burs in bur blocks and they are just autoclaved each time and re pouched.

We pouch nearly everything in our practice using 21/60 days, we don't pouch rubber cups or bristle brushes that the HYG use, and we have one dentist who doesn't have burs pouched but that is about to change since having are practice apprasial last friday, we also don't pouch aspirators as these are single use and don't last to long in our practice, I understand that some dentsists are old school and are taking some time in moving with the times of HTM01-05

I agree the Carbon foot print is disgusting. The pouches go into clinical waste as well in our practice as that is the only bin we have in there . All paper n card from the gloves goes out to the reception to be binned. We bag our burs up together if the dentist has used 3 or 4 for a patient then they will be sterilised by the usual method then bagged up together. The only thing we dont bag up is the aspiarator tips. we have plastic ones in orange n pink. they are sterilised after every patient but reused we do check them for scratches etc. then dispose of them.

Hello,
so, I understand you have baged up all burs, files etcetera, one by one? As they will have been sterilised after you got them...as everything must be, unless it is sterile when arriving to the practice. Just one problem might be, space and how to find what you need...
If the prophy cups aren't sterile when we get them, they should be sterilised by us before use.

Sometimes I think, (and many in our PITID group) we just need to use common sense.
Also, if you can justify why or indeed why not, you are not doing a certain thing, you can explain why or why not and the implications of it, it will be fine. The reason cannot be "Can't be bothered" or so, it has to be a valid reason, I think we can be a bit obsessed.
I am sure I was for a while.
But yes, according to the HTM 01 05, everything should be baged. Now, we know, that a few things have changed already and that the Scottish equivalent of HTM 01 05 has been questioned and still is looked in to, so...watch this space, I would say. (Not to mention the amount of bags/pouches that will fill all the landfills in the world...pollute the groundwater and all the trees that must be cut down to make them!That is a question for WHO and all others that can possibly care)

HTM 01 05....
MLA

I would just pouch them.
At the end of the day he knows everything should be pouched and he won't be able to get away with it.
He just needs to stop being stubborn about it.

Everything is pouched in our practice. if the dentist wants anything we open it for him. Im from the old school where nothing was pouched. Kept in open drawers etc. It is a time consuming excerise and can be expensive as well as we have different sized pouches from large to very small. Tell your dentist he either spends a few pounds on pouches or be sued for something a patient has caught from the items not being pouched.

there is no practise manager and the other dentist is in agreement. i just wonder if I should just go with it and hope it gets picked up when we are inspected.

That's just typical of some dentists, thinking of money first before patients and standards.

I understand it costs a lot of money with all the various changes that have happened and that are happening but these things have to be done.
What will be next, no gloves?

We are in an industry that has standards and guidelines and he should be remember that instead of thinking how much money it will save him if he doesn't pouch a few things.

Do you have a practice manager or someone else senior you can talk to about this?

He wants them loose as pouching is already costing a lot of money (his words not mine).

What a thing for him to say. He should be proud that he has such a particular nurse working with him.

Can you maybe suggest that you pouch the ones you have? It still means he can help himself, all he has to do is open a pouch.
Or is that the problem he doesn't want to open a pouch every time?

prophy cups. I would like them in a sealed box away from the drawers, but my dentist wants to help himself! He thinks I'm obsessive
I just want to know whether I am or not?

Everything we have is pouched.
All instruments, the lot.

What don't you have pouched?

Hi,
Just wondered if any of you have anything at all that is not pouched but still kept in drawers?