sterile processing
sterile processing
By Jill E . Holdsworth , MS , CIC , FAPIC , NREMT , CRCST
Sterile Processing Beyond the Operating Room
The author as she presents at the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association ( HSPA ) annual conference held in Nashville last month .
The Healthcare Sterile Processing Association ( HSPA ) 2023 conference held in Nashville last month had many recurring themes this year , but one seemed to stick out more than others -- Collaboration . When we see teams collaborating together , we find success , safety and prevention of infections and events . As attendees return to their busy roles and departments , it ’ s hard to remember the excitement and motivation felt when we were all in Nashville together , sharing ideas , listening to presenters , and learning together . If I can give one piece of advice post-conference , it is to stay connected with new friends , write down all of your new ideas and hopes from the presentations and conversations you had and never lose the excitement you felt after the conference .
In a session titled “ Sterile Processing Beyond the Operating Room ,” I took the audience on a journey through the hospital to all the areas that are not the actual operating room . What are these places ? Where do you need to worry about having surgical instruments , scopes and other items that will be sent to sterile processing ? The best way to find out is to go look ! Some examples that all teams need to look at in their facility are nursing units , the Cath Lab , the EP Lab , Women ’ s Services , Interventional Radiology , Endoscopy , and the various clinics ( ENT , Rad Onc , women ’ s clinics , etc .).
An example given was when the infection preventionist ( IP ) and sterile processing department ( SPD ) director when through every single nursing unit looking in the clean supply areas for sterile instrumentation . Not only will this give a chance to find sets that may be able to be retired ( along with the surgeon who wanted that set to be created in the first place ) but a chance to clean up the amount of one-time use and reprocessed instruments used in the ICU and medical units .
Second , perform an assessment in your clinical areas to see how instruments are being transferred to sterile processing ; are the containers compliant with Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation ( AAMI ) guidelines ? Is there a pre-treatment spray being used ? Do the team members know how to use the spray ? Do they even know where the spray is ? Many nursing teams have also learned that they will be asked questions by surveyors even if they are not using instruments on a regular basis on their clinical units — this is your chance to partner ! Work on a routine schedule to provide education , in-services , fliers , etc ., and a new partnership will be formed from this collaboration .
Through working with areas like Interventional Radiology and the Cardiology Cath Lab , it has become evident that there is a need for education on things like how to look for holes in a wrapped and reading the indicator on the inside of the tray — these are not topics of discussion as often as they may be in the operating room . Keeping track of compliance with transport and pre-treatment in these areas will be just as important , though lower volume than the OR , it will allow you to understand what the educational needs are .
A tip I learned many years ago as part of survey readiness was to always keep a list of all the scopes throughout the facility at any given time . This serves two purposes for the infection prevention and sterile processing team — you have a list you can use for auditing purposes , and you also have a list to provide any surveyor if asked when they come on site .
Working together , understanding the needs of our departments and teams and forming partnerships across the facility are all important aspects of collaborating for safety and success . HSPA 2023 in Nashville was a notable example of these partnership forming , collaboration happening and new ideas forming to move the sterile processing profession forward . The work we all do together , just like working together with departments and teams across our facilities , will keep our patients and team members safe in the future .
Jill E . Holdsworth , MS , CIC , FAPIC , NREMT , CRCST , is manager of the Infection Prevention Department at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta .
26 june 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com