Benefits Abound with
Strong Sterile Processing
and Infection Prevention
Partnerships
By Chris Pennucci, AS, BS, CRCST
When a facility’s infection preventionist (IP) walks down
the hallway, clipboard in hand, anxiety can skyrocket
for the facility’s employees. They may run, hide, or try to stay
unnoticed, hoping they will be passed by on that round. It can
often feel like the IP is an in-house Joint Commission surveyor,
poring over everything you do, just looking for something wrong
or out of place.
Those in sterile processing (SP) are no exception, and with the
number of items they handle and process, and documentation
they keep, it may seem the focus is on us even more (which is
often the case). It is important to remember, though, that IPs are
not our enemy, but rather vigilant members of the team. Their
knowledge, focus and support not only lead to better survey
experiences, but also to improved quality and safety – all of which
will have a positive impact on the sterile processing department
(SPD), as well as others’ perception of it.
If a contentious relationship exists between IPs and SP professionals,
or the two disciplines simply lack a strong partnership, it’s
time to work harder to bridge those gaps and view one another
as essential contributors to the same goal: keeping patients and
employees safe and identifying and fixing problems (or potential
problems) before they can negatively impact customer service
and patient care.
Partnering for quality and safety
Improving the relationship between SP professionals and IPs is
essential because the two disciplines complement one another in
far more ways that they detract, and a strong working partnership
can result in better outcomes far more effectively than if each
side attempted to work on their own. Without question, one
of the best gifts the IP can bring to an SPD is their expertise in
controlling or outright preventing the spread of infection. Every
SPD should work each day to provide safe and sterile products
for the operating room (OR), as well as other end users, and
spotting deficiencies in these processes is precisely what IPs are
trained to do.
Conversely, one of the best gifts that SP professionals can
give IPs is keeping them informed on what is going on, and
involved in the department’s processes. Even in large facilities,
only a handful of IPs are sometimes expected to keep track of
every process that occurs with thousands of employees across
multiple departments and locations. Also, when SPDs attain new
equipment or instruments, it can be invaluable to have the IP in
on the discussion of building a process and procedure around
them. The IP will then know exactly what the SPD has and how
they are being processed, and that insight – coupled with the
focused knowledge of the IP — will help SP professionals establish
the most robust procedure possible.
Even though IPs perform audits and sometimes act like
surveyors, they work for the same facility as SP professionals,
and are very much in their corner. They want the SPD to succeed.
Whenever a negative incident occurs or a process is determined to
not be working as well as it should be, it is best to approach the
IP about it and make them part of the conversation and solution.
Even if everything is going well in the SPD, it is wise to invite
the IP to conduct an assessment or departmental walkthrough.
While an SP professional’s first thought might be that this is like
letting a fox into the henhouse, they must remember there is
no “us and them” but rather an interdisciplinary partnership
that helps reduce infection risks and drive positive outcomes. It
is always better to have the IP find something and help the SPD
through it than to have a negative patient impact or a surveyor
finding something that could have been addressed in advance.
Depending on the issue, then TJC or someone else may find it
anyway, but a big step toward mitigating problems and avoiding
a citation is showing that the departments worked out the issue
and took steps to prevent another occurrence.
Another key benefit of this collaboration is that the IP will
gain a better understanding of what SP professionals do. IPs
will have a general idea, of course; however, not all fully realize
the magnitude of what takes place in the SPD on any given day.
Educating IPs and showing them what routinely takes place may
give them a new understanding and appreciation of how difficult
an SP technician’s role can be. It may even lead them to be less
critical when a negative incident does occur and, perhaps, more
eager to help find an effective solution
Other benefits of strong IP/SP relationships
SPDs typically have many employees and millions of dollars
in equipment, but because the department is not a revenue
generator (in most cases), it can be challenging to justify additional
expenses for increased instrument inventory, new reprocessing
equipment, additional employees, educational resources and the
like. IPs can lend a helpful hand in this regard.
Often, during discussions with C-level executives, the IP
will have a prominent seat at the table. If they have a solid
understanding of the SPD’s challenges and needs, they can more
effectively present the data, standards, and insights to help build
a more solid case for budget increases and capital expenditures.
If an old washer is no longer cleaning effectively or reliably,
standards are out of date, or instrument inventory falls short
to meet increasing surgical case volume, they can share that
30 august 2020 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com