sterile processing
By Julie E . Williamson
Must-Have Standards for Every SPD : Value Letter Helps Ensure Budgets Allow for These Vital Resources
Sterile processing departments ( SPDs ) operating in the absence of the latest industry standards , guidelines and recommended practices face the potential for numerous negative outcomes , including an increased risk to patient and healthcare worker safety , survey citations and fines , and devastating damage to their facility ’ s reputation .
It ’ s a message voiced by many experts — from sterile processing veterans , consultants , and surveyors from the Joint Commission ( TJC ) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ), to litigators , representatives from healthcare associations and government agencies , and more . Unfortunately , many facilities lack these critical resources .
Sometimes , facilities don ’ t have any version of certain standards ; others may only have outdated versions – such as for ANSI / AAMI ST79 , Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in healthcare facilities , which was updated in 2020 .
Having current standards is not just vital for the SPD , but also for the collective facility . ANSI / AAMI ST79 , for example , is a comprehensive document with valuable information for the SPD , operating room , infection prevention , safety , risk management , and engineering / facilities management , and it ’ s also the document by which surveyors are being trained .
Limited budgets are often to blame for the lack of standards in SPDs across the country . To help sterile processing professionals petition their facilities for the most current standards , guidelines and recommended practices needed for quality customer service and patient safety , IAHCSMM drafted the following Standards Value Letter , a template that sterile processing managers can customize and share with administrators and other executives .
We encourage any sterile processing manager who has struggled to attain the latest standards , guidelines and recommended practices to tailor this template to their own needs in an effort to drive best practices within their department — and we also recommend they lean on their organization ’ s infection prevention team for additional
support , whenever needed , as infection preventionists can serve as a strong SPD ally .
Julie E . Williamson is editor / communications director for IAHCSMM .
Dear _____________________ ( insert name of manager , administrative executive or other ):
The Sterile Processing ( SP ) profession is ever evolving in terms of surgical instrumentation , processing equipment , and standard and best practices . To stay abreast of all these changes , it ’ s essential that our SPD and the professionals who comprise it have ready access to the most current standards and guidelines , such as those provided by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation ( ANSI / AAMI ), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses ( AORN ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ).
Access to the latest standards helps ensure that our department is consistently following the most current recommendations and best practices that will promote patient and employee safety and keep us in check with The Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid surveyors ( who are now being trained on standards such as ANSI / AAMI ST79 : 2017 & 2020 Amendments A1 , A2 , A3 , A4 ( Consolidated Text ), Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in healthcare facilities .
Industry experts recommend the following key resources for every SPD :
1 . ANSI / AAMI ST79 : 2017 & 2020 Amendments A1 , A2 , A3 , A4 ( Consolidated Text ) Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities 2 . AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practices , 2020 3 . ANSI / AAMI ST58:2013 , Chemical sterilization and high-level disinfection in health care facilities ( Note : This document is currently under review ) 4 . ANSI / AAMI ST41 : 2008 /( R ) 2018 , Ethylene oxide sterilization in health care facilities
( for facilities using ethylene oxide ) 5 . ANSI / AAMI ST91:2015 , Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities 6 . ANSI / AAMI ST90:2017 , Processing of health care products - Quality management systems for processing in health care facilities
7 . AAMI TIR 68:2018 , Low and intermediate-level disinfection in healthcare settings for medical devices and patient care equipment and sterile processing environmental surfaces
8 . AAMI TIR 67:2018 , Promoting safe practices pertaining to the use of sterilant and disinfectant chemical in health care facilities 9 . AAMI TIR 34:2014 , Water for the reprocessing of medical device 10 . AAMI TIR 63:2014 , Management of loaned critical and semi-critical medical devices that require sterilization or high-level disinfection 11 . CDC Guideline for Decontamination and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities , 2008
There is a charge for the other documents ; however , I ’ m sure you will agree that budgeting for these documents is prudent given our healthcare organization ’ s desire to provide the very best patient care and quality customer service . Failure to have current standards on file in our department could prove costly for our facility if adverse events take place , such as surveyor citations / fines , costs associated with treating preventable infections or injuries to patients or staff , or litigation risks that could damage our facility ’ s reputation .
Diligent adherence to the latest standards and best practices will help drive patient and employee safety , advance infection prevention efforts , and keep exemplary customer service a top priority . It is my hope that you will support this request for budget dollars to allow for our department ’ s purchase of the most current standards as they become available .
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or require additional information . In the meantime , I ’ d like to thank you for your time and consideration .
Sincerely ,