Centers and hospitals where we receive podology services to solve our foot problems and protect our foot health are environments where human circulation is present. The necessity of measures, especially within the scope of covid measures, is more important. Another important point is that the nail and skin particles that occur during podological applications have a high probability of spreading to the environment. The greater the importance of sterilization of instruments used in the podological approach, the environmental conditions are the first step in the prevention of infections.
In addition to sterilization of instruments, the most important step to be considered in order to prevent infection is the hygiene of the application room. The disinfection of the devices used, the sterilization of the instruments, the isolation precautions and the podologist’s attention to these rules are important in protecting the general health of individuals from all age groups who have foot health problems. For an effective disinfection and sterilization, attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the objects, the prevention of microbial contamination, the temperature and humidity of the environment, and the pH level.
In podology centers, the instruments that will be in contact with the patient must be sterile, not disinfected. Although the area we apply is generally intact skin, in minor injuries that may occur during the procedure, unfortunately, when instruments that are not sterilized and only disinfected are used, there is a risk of infection due to resistant microorganisms. Since the sterilized instruments are free from all microorganisms, including spores, it eliminates the risk of transmission of viruses, bacteria and fungi and prevents foot infections.
Since the sterile device used in podology centers is autoglav (steam sterilization), it is reliable because it is safe to protect podological instruments, it can be checked whether they are sterile with the help of inhibitors, it has a fast bactericidal effect, it penetrates into sterile packages, it is not affected by organic-inorganic substances, it is not toxic and it is advantageous in terms of time. should be preferred.
A broad spectrum instrument disinfectant should be used for sterilization of heat-sensitive materials and for pre-autoclave preparation.
In addition to the suitability of the ambient conditions and the application of sterilization standards, it is necessary to maintain the sterility of the stored instruments. For this reason, before the sterilization process, the instruments must be put in medical and sterile packaging. Any instrument that has undergone sterilization cannot be open. The instruments to be used for the patient must be removed from the sterile packaging. Even contact with air impairs the sterilization of instruments.
Another issue to be considered during the application is that the instruments and materials that cannot be sterilized or disinfected are disposable. Disposable materials such as blankets, rasps, towels, sponges, bandages used for personal use should be separated after the procedure and thrown into the medical waste container.
Contaminated instruments that can be re-sterilized should be kept in sealed containers away from the unit being treated.
Purification of skin and nail parts of the instruments used, preparation for sterilization, waiting in a broad spectrum disinfectant according to the conditions and duration of use and pre-cleaning preparation should be done in a region far from the sterile environment.
As it is important to ensure the isolation and hygienic conditions of the application area in the prevention of infections, there are rules that the podologist who will be in close contact with the patient should pay attention to.
Before the procedure, podologists should use gloves, masks, goggles and, if necessary, aprons in accordance with universal precautions in order to protect both the patient’s health and their own health. Before wearing gloves, it is necessary to ensure asepsis of the hands, the mask must fully cover the nose and mouth, and the glasses used must be clean. If there are tear holes in the gloves during the process, they should definitely be changed. At the same time, the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms should be prevented by using an antiseptic spray of the living area to be applied.
Maintaining sterile conditions is possible by taking all precautions to prevent contamination of wounds with infectious microorganism and to prevent their entry into sterile tissues. It should not be forgotten that; KEMALAT CANNOT BE WITH A KEM TOOL…
