The experience of dental practices that use automatic washer disinfectors

Abstract

Background: Understanding the collective sociotechnical experiences of the staff in dental practices with automatic washer disinfectors (AWDs) may help shape future strategies that encourage the transition towards best practice in dental instrument decontamination and reprocessing. Objectives: To find the emerging themes that reflect the experience of working with an AWD in dental practice. To compare the experience of practice owners to that of the dental nurses. Methods: A qualitative semi-structured interview-based methodology was applied using a convenience sample of dentists and dental nurses. Verbatim transcripts of audio recordings underwent thematic analysis. Results: Dental practice owners and dental nurses were interviewed. Four themes were common to both groups: impact on daily routine; mundane technology; the decontamination cycle; and safety. Three themes were unique to the dentists: impact on the business; professionalism; and external motivators for change. Discussion: AWDs are a mundane form of technology that dental nurses find simple to operate. The extended time it takes to reprocess instruments using an AWD means that dental nurses must adapt their daily working practices to accommodate this. Initial funding to purchase an AWD, especially where there is a professional expert leading a campaign championing their use, can be effective.