Monitoring for Quality Assurance

All three types of sterilizer monitoring (biological, chemical, mechanical) are vital components of an effective infection control program. It is the responsibility of each medical and dental office to assure their staff and patients that products at point-of-use are sterile. Maintaining complete and accurate records will provide documentation should a legal dispute regarding alleged negligence occur. Use state or local regulation guidelines for retention times of documentation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) all recommend keeping a log for the purpose for recording daily sterilization records including mechanical parameters the results of chemical and biological test results.