Winning the War Against
an Invisible Enemy : How Infection Control and Sterile Processing Can Partner for Success
By Mary Olivera , MHA , CRCST , CHL , FCS
It was immediately clear that the work of the sterile processing department and infection control would need to be inseparable if there were to be success , and we built a foundation of confidence , trust , and respect .
If the past 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic have taught us anything , it is that surrounding ourselves with the right people — at home and at work — can be a lifeline in tough times . Nowhere is this truer than in a hospital , where battles against disease are often waged , sometimes won , and occasionally , devastatingly , lost .
Throughout the pandemic , frontline workers , those who managed the day-to-day care of patients , faced the brunt of the consequences of the coronavirus . But there were other teams whose contributions , unseen by the public , were just as crucial to success rates and the care of patients : those of the infection preventionists ( IPs ).
IPs define and execute the strategy and tactics that a hospital needs to keep dangerous microbes at bay . These teams employ continuous quality process models for people , methods , and equipment at a facility and can help stop germ outbreaks before they start . Their work is crucial to mitigating risk at a facility and to promoting public health .
The COVID-19 pandemic was not the first time I was impressed with infection control practitioners and their work in protecting and saving lives . Early in my career as a sterile processing professional , I came across The Secret Life of Germs by Dr . Philip M . Tierno , which detailed the what , the why , and the how of harmful microbes and their potential effects . The concepts listed by Tierno proved to continue to be as relevant as when our science fathers began to understand how microorganisms and cross-contamination affect our population . If we could have taken at heart Tierno ’ s words “ We should press for a national campaign to educate the public about germs and the need for good personal hygiene ,” perhaps much of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been eliminated before it became a public health emergency ! We would never know but the fact is that as Tierno calls it , handwashing is indeed a “ protective response strategy .” I shared the book with my sterile processing department ( SPD ) team members , and we began to incorporate the infection control department in our initiatives . Tierno was always there to mentor us whenever we had a sterility or high-level disinfection question , as he was the chief of our hospital microbiology department .
We began by forming a task force that included the operating room , risk management , microbiology ,
• nursing administration , the SPD , and infection control . We explored bioburden found in trays , immediate use sterilization , quality audits , education , department surveys , and much more . It was immediately clear that the work of the sterile processing department and infection control would need to be inseparable if there were to be success , and we built a foundation of confidence , trust , and respect .
We adopted a “ no finger-pointing ” rule that allowed us to tear apart problems and issues without tearing into each other . The SPD invited the infection control team to take an active role in surveillance , audits , and skills enhancement for the SPD , and we trained IPs on reprocessing and high-level disinfection . The infection control team would come to the SPD and announce they were conducting a survey . The SPD technicians participated and observed the auditing process . The IPs would conduct residual soil testing on the trays and flexible scopes . The operating room nurses also participated in the process and were always present when their service trays were audited . On some visits they would conduct a document audit checking the sequence of the loads , lot control numbers , and the biological test results . If there was a load ready to go in the autoclave , they would check the accuracy of the load record against the items that were on the sterilization cart . Everyone watched anxiously waiting for the test results . Everyone participated and took pride on the work performed , and the excellent audit results were reported during the infection control and operating room committee meetings .
We created a solid partnership and achieved success because we approached the issues as a cohesive group . The unannounced visits and the readiness process created , kept the department in top shape receiving numerous surveyor accolades and winning a national SPD award . Although personalities abound and process can occasionally get in the way , the partnership we formed can be replicated in your facility by following the Four C ’ s model : collaboration , competency , controls , and checks .
This model is a blueprint for a successful and safe reprocessing area and can help a department leader break down readiness and preparedness into smaller , more manageable steps that , when implemented correctly , can become routine to the teams involved .