Even in a sterile processing department optimally designed to reduce potential exposures , we were surprised by the abundance of droplets generated during the performance of instrument processing steps that were completed in accordance with manufacturers ’ instructions for use .” — Cori Ofstead
healthcare value analysis , Judy Allison , MBA , and Jim Davis , MSN , RN , CCRNK , CIC , HEM , FAPIC , shared insights relating to the value analysis journey . They emphasized the importance of an organizational culture that embraces the Triple Aim in healthcare , encompassing quality , cost and value , and how these imperatives can be applied to the clinical and fiscal decision-making process .
They explained the importance of the collaboration of a multi-disciplinary team with decision-making authority , noting that the service line focus of the team allows for focus , SME input to this decision-making and implementation “ buy in ” from all stakeholders , including service line leaders , physicians and clinical users , finance , quality and risk , supply chain and infection control .
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Maggie Miller , MT ( ASCP ) M , CIC , FAPIC , Erin Sparnon and Mairead Smith discussed their perspectives on applying real-world infection prevention to ECRI ’ s endoscope evaluations , where they discussed how to best navigate the shifting product and regulatory landscape while sharing clinical and engineering observations and concerns related to endoscope assessment . They also identified key use cases where single-use endoscopes and endoscope components may offer meaningful benefits to patients and healthcare facilities . Additionally , they shared eye-opening results from a recent duodenoscope reprocessing survey that addressed key workflow- and ergonomics-driven imperatives . They shared a response from an acute-care facility respondent who observed , “ Right now , PPE depends on what is available on that day . It ’ s a crapshoot if we will have what we need and if it is the right size . Same goes for other cleaning supplies . Supply is unreliable . We often have to ‘ make do .’ We are also the last thought . Sometimes it seems as if we are forgotten about in the basement as our water can get shut off without warning , along with electricity .”
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The November Symposium on Infection Prevention & Control also featured encore presentations by Sylvia Garcia-Houchins and Cori Ofstead , who presented at the October Symposium on Sterile Processing & Infection Prevention , also developed by Keystone Media Inc . and the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association ( HSPA ).
Sylvia Garcia-Houchins , MBA , RN , CIC , explained The Joint Commission survey process , focusing on the sterile processing departments of acute-care facilities . She provided examples of situations that could lead to survey findings in SPDs and adverse accreditation decisions , as well as described the approach for ensuring compliance with Joint Commission infection control standards . She also reviewed the differences between the roles of evidence-based guidelines and consensus documents in the accreditation process . She reminded attendees that guidelines that have been scientifically developed based on recent literature review and are consensus driven , while a voluntary consensus standard is a type of standard developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies using a development process characterized by openness , balance , due process , consensus , and the right to appeals .
Cori Ofstead described the evidence supporting standards and guidelines for training and certification for sterile processing professionals while explaining the new recommendations for visual inspection of flexible endoscopes . She also shared new evidence on splashes and droplet dispersal in sterile processing areas and suggested practical ways to mitigate splash exposure and protect sterile processing personnel from contamination . The study , published in the American Journal of Infection Control , showed that manual cleaning of reusable medical instruments generates substantial splash more than seven feet from the source . The findings reinforce the importance of engineering controls and appropriate use of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) to reduce the risk of contamination for processing personnel and their facilities .
“ This study confirms that technicians working in sterile processing departments are at risk for exposure to water droplets that may contain blood , tissue and other patient fluids ,” said Ofstead , president and CEO of Ofstead & Associates , and the paper ’ s lead author . “ Even in a sterile processing department optimally designed to reduce potential exposures , we were surprised by the abundance of droplets generated during the performance of instrument processing steps that were completed in accordance with manufacturers ’ instructions for use .” The study expands upon a pilot project completed by Ofstead and colleagues in 2021 - the first real-world evaluation of PPE effectiveness for sterile processing personnel – which concluded that personnel who process reusable medical instruments and equipment may be exposed to tissue , blood , and other patient fluids even when wearing recommended PPE . Previous research has demonstrated a link between contamination disseminated from sinks and healthcare facility outbreaks . www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • november 2022
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