Jean Gillian, Holden Alexander C L, Tennant Marc, Kruger Estie
Honorary Research Fellow and PhD Candidate, UWA School of Human Sciences.
Lecturer in Dental Ethics, Law and Professionalism, The University of Sydney.
J Law Med. 2018 Jul;25(4):1146-1156.
There are established standards for the management of infection control in private dental practices, but there is currently no proactive legislation to oversee correct adherence to those standards. The Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation Scheme (Scheme) promotes a quality and safety management program that includes attention to the prevention of healthcare acquired infections, but adoption of the Scheme is not compulsory for all. A recent case brought before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal demonstrated the seriousness of breaches of infection control standards and the considerable costs of managing the consequences. This article discusses the role of quality and safety assurance programs in the context of private dental practice regulation; compares the different quality and safety assurance schemes operating in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom; and argues that the compulsory adoption of an appropriate scheme which focuses on infection control would be in the public interest.
私人牙科诊所的感染控制管理已有既定标准，但目前尚无积极主动的立法来监督这些标准的正确遵守情况。澳大利亚卫生服务安全与质量认证计划（该计划）推行一项质量与安全管理计划，其中包括对预防医疗保健相关感染的关注，但并非所有机构都必须采用该计划。最近提交给新南威尔士州民事和行政法庭的一个案例表明了违反感染控制标准的严重性以及应对后果的高昂成本。本文讨论了质量与安全保证计划在私人牙科诊所监管背景下的作用；比较了澳大利亚、加拿大和英国实施的不同质量与安全保证计划；并认为强制采用一项侧重于感染控制的适当计划将符合公众利益。
