Chris Miller, PHD
The Office Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) Research Foundation has announced a series of "On-line Town Meetings" designed to give dental health-care workers an opportunity to ask questions about infection control from the comfort of their homes, schools or offices.
While about half of this program will have been completed by the time this article appears, the remaining half still will be available (See Town Meeting Schedule). Every Tuesday, beginning April 14, 1998, dental health-care workers can have their questions on some of the perplexing infection-control issues addressed by persons at the forefront of national and international infection control. These issues include health-care worker allergies, HIV disease, instrument processing, dental-unit waterline contamination, occupational exposures to disease agents and reaction to gloves.
How to participate
Access the OSAP Research Foundation Internet Home Page at www.osap.org and pose your questions on the subject of the week. Within 24 hours, you`ll be getting a response from the designated person covering that area of information.
Extra benefits
When you assess an OSAP Town Meeting on the OSAP Home Page, you`ll see a sorted listing of all questions and answers on a particular topic the Wednesday following the submission of questions. If you`re a member of OSAP Research Foundation, you can retrieve the archived questions and answers on all topics. This should provide an instant education and informational resource on the critical issues of the day.
This Town Meeting program is just one more example of how the OSAP Research Foundation reaches out to health-care workers with information about infection control and office safety. This organization is composed of dental hygienists, dental assistants, dentists, university professors, researchers, consultants, government employees, industry representatives, military personnel and others interested in infection control.
Of the many member benefits, one in particular, OSAP Monthly Focus, is especially unique. It`s a monthly mailing that features a detailed discussion in 6-10 pages of an important and often "hot" topic plus other breaking issues that affect dental health-care workers. Also, each OSAP Monthly Focus offers continuing education credit.
Every dental office in the country should have at least one employee on the OSAP Research Foundation membership roll to help assure that the office is kept up-to-date on developments in infection control and office safety. Dental hygienists and assistants can join for $50.
For more information, contact the OSAP Research Foundation at (410) 798-6797; PO Box 6297, Annapolis, MD 21401; e-mail: [email protected].
Chris Miller is director of Infection Control Research and Services and professor of oral biology at Indiana University.
