Elevating Sterile Processing Businesses Through Tailored Consulting Excellence
and other relevant organizations?
4. Does your facility have recommended protocols for when to administer nasal decolonization? Do those protocols recommend certain active ingredients, or vary by active ingredient? 5. Is the product packaging durable? 6. Is the swab easy for frontline staff to use? 7. Do patients or residents have a pleasant experience with using this product? 8. Based on your facility’ s administration protocols, what is the expected cost per patient or resident?
Mairead Smith is a principal project engineer with ECRI – an independent, nonprofit organization focused on improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. Since 2013, she has helped hospitals make informed purchasing decisions through hands-on laboratory testing of devices used in the healthcare environment, including laparoscopic and endoscopic video systems, cardiac technologies, ultraviolet disinfection devices, and most recently, nasal antiseptic swabs.
Amanda Sivek, PhD, a-IPC is a principal project engineer II in the Device Safety group at ECRI. Since joining ECRI in 2015, Sivek has worked mainly on topics relevant to the field of infection prevention and control, including the completion of laboratory evaluations of disinfection caps for needle-free intravenous connectors, ultraviolet mobile device disinfection boxes, hand hygiene compliance monitoring systems, and hand hygiene observation apps. In addition, she was co-author of a survey study of disposable isolation gown selection, strikethrough and reporting that was published in the journal Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology in 2025. She is an expert in environmental infection control; medical device processing practices; infection control technologies; hemodynamics; and flow-induced blood damage.
ECRI members spent an estimated $ 17.7 million on povidone-iodine-based and alcohol-based nasal antiseptic swabs between November 2024 and November 2025. The majority of this spend, 75 percent, was on povidone-iodine swabs.
References: CDC. Current HAI Progress Report: 2023 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report.( 2024, November 25). AHRQ. Products Used for S. aureus Nasal Decolonization.( 2025, April). CDC. Strategies to Prevent Hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream
Infections in Acute Care Facilities.( 2024, April 15). AHRQ. Universal and Targeted Decolonization Strategies.( 2025, April).
Guiding Excellence, Redefining Operations
Elevating Sterile Processing Businesses Through Tailored Consulting Excellence
At Ketchum Konsulting, LLC, we specialize in providing tailored consulting services exclusively for sterile processing.
Whether you seek remote guidance or on-site support, we are here to facilitate your business growth. We are dedicated to empowering your sterile processing business through personalized consulting services.
KetchumKonsulting @ efficient-transformation. com 540.760.4816
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