Final answer:
Sterilized equipment must be handled with aseptic techniques to prevent recontamination, using pre-sterilized materials, disinfection protocols, and proper storage practices. Personnel must wear protective clothing and follow cleanliness and waste disposal protocols to ensure safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The proper handling of sterilized equipment before a treatment includes maintaining aseptic conditions to ensure that no microbes are reintroduced to the sterilized items. This requires the use of pre-sterilized pipettes, culture tubes, glassware, and other necessary materials. It's essential to handle sterilized items with clean, preferably gloved hands, and to minimize the items' exposure to the environment. Inoculating loops, needles, and forceps should be disinfected with 70% ethanol. Additionally, protocols such as flaming the openings of tubes and bottles can further minimize contamination risks. After disinfection, proper storage methods should be observed, and equipment should be handled as per established scientific and government guidelines to ensure safety and efficacy.
Personnel should wear protective clothing, and any contact with skin should be followed by washing with specified cleaning agents. Contaminated waste requires specific disposal methods like incineration or autoclaving in a strong basic solution. All these procedures protect both the care provider and the patient from the risk of infection and cross-contamination.