To Keep Patients Safe , Start Thinking Like One
To Keep Patients Safe , Start Thinking Like One
By Mary Olivera , MHA , CRCST , CHL , FCS
It is inevitable that there will come a time when each of us is a patient at the mercy of doctors , staff , and the protocols that they — not we — adhere to . As sterile processing department ( SPD ) professionals , we should step back from these experiences and reflect on what worked and what didn ’ t , how we felt as a patient during the entire treatment experience , and how we might take those lessons and apply them to our everyday interactions with our own patients and our colleagues at our facilities .
My recent experience as a patient led me to believe that patients likely observe so much more than we realize . While waiting for my procedure , I picked up on the interactions between my doctor and her support staff , the support staff and other departments , and the overall vibe of a facility whose chief purpose is to help people heal . I also observed the efficiency with which things ran , the cleanliness of procedure and recovery areas , and the team ’ s adherence to the latest safety and sanitizing protocols ( something , I admit , that regular patients may not observe with such an exacting eye ).
Above all , however , two things stood out : my connection with a competent and equipped physician who would be guiding me through my procedure and healing , and the quality of the hospital itself . Luckily , sterile processing can play an outsized role in positively affecting both , and SPD professionals can help other departments establish procedures that can lead to better outcomes for physician satisfaction and patient safety . Read on for how .
Physician Satisfaction
Physician satisfaction depends largely on whether a doctor feels that she or he has been able to provide the quality and quantity of care needed and desired by their patients , and a satisfied doctor is more likely to lead to more satisfied patients . But a doctor cannot do it alone , and support teams like sterile processing can make it easier for a doctor to deliver efficient and safe care . Sterile processing should take this notion to heart and shore up processes to increase efficiency and patient safety , rework procedures to ensure that trays will be delivered to the operating room ( OR ) in a complete and timely fashion , and solicit feedback from the physicians they serve to find other areas of improvement .
Safeguarding Quality
Hospital quality truly starts from the ( below ) ground up , as sterile processing departments are frequently located in the basement of a facility . While this underground location can lend itself to being overlooked , SPD administrators should visit their departments regularly to observe their teams in action and to
Above all , however , two things stood out : my connection with a competent and equipped physician who would be guiding me through my procedure and healing , and the quality of the hospital itself .”