pertaining to the IPC and departmental relationships. Experts report that they see varying levels of communication and collaboration between the IPC department and OR / SPD.
“ Some IPC departments are very hands-off and are only heard from when there is an issue, while others make routine visits to check in and build a rapport,” DeGraw observes.“ From personal experience, the closer relationships have been the most beneficial. Having an established relationship made it easier to navigate concerns and issues for both departments. Sometimes, building that relationship requires SPD to initiate the conversation and extend an invitation to the department. IPs may be reluctant to spend time in the SPD if their knowledge of instrument processing is minimal, so it can be helpful to start with a departmental tour. IPs can improve relations by participating in more SPD-related activities, including department meetings and in-services. Having a routine presence in the department helps build collaborative relationships and, ultimately, improves communication and cooperation.
Open communication between the IPC department and the OR / SPD should be prioritized, Parker emphasizes.“ They should be able to ask questions or share what is going on without fear. When there are staff meetings, huddles and education, IPC should be included. They should collaborate on education and training. This includes any new equipment / medical devices and point-of-use treatment. Cooperation should be from all sides. At times, IPC is the facilitator between the OR and SPD, but we are also their greatest asset and resource, to be able to look at processes, interpret IFU, and ensure staff from both departments are adhering to policies and procedures to break the chain of infection. Communication, collaboration and cooperation can be improved on all sides by not only rounding, but spending time in each department, talking with staff, explaining one’ s role, and taking the time to learn the nuances. I am also an advocate for certification in sterile processing for the IP.“
“ The relationship between the IP and OR / SPD is often reactive,” Wood acknowledges.“ The IP gets called when there is a problem or a surveyor’ s coming. Collaboration improves dramatically when we normalize routine proximity: quick weekly OR / SPD / IP huddles with a simple shared dashboard, monthly joint walking rounds, and early IP involvement in purchasing and service-line expansion decisions. When IPs show up as informed advisors instead of auditors, the relationship changes.”
Taylor describes the communication between IPC and the OR / SPD as“ often episodic and reactive, occurring primarily during investigation or regulatory
Continued on page 20
Image courtesy of AORN
Trading Places: IPC and OR / SPD
We asked our experts, what can IPs do to“ walk a mile” in the shoes of OR / SPD personnel? And what do OR / SPD professionals need to understand about the complexities of the IP role? Here are their insights:
Amber Wood:“ For IPs: Don’ t feed the outsider stereotype. Blend in— wear scrubs, wear tennis shoes, leave the clipboard, and move with the flow. Then actually do the time in decontamination and prep / pack areas; observe a busy day, during the afternoon when all the trays come down at once, in the evening and on the weekend when the vendor trays arrive. Try reconciling a real IFU against real equipment. That credibility lets you advise in context. For OR / SPD: IPs manage invisible risk across the whole facility— infection surveillance, outbreak investigations, isolation precautions, construction, mandatory reporting, and shifting standards. The IP is not there to police you; we’ re there to co design safer, feasible workflows. Invite us behind the red line early, and you’ ll get practical, proactive help instead of reactive audits.”
David Taylor:“ IPs could build credibility by spending sustained time in the OR and SPD, observing full workflows, sharing workload pressures, and learning directly from frontline staff. This experiential understanding allows IPs to make more realistic, collaborative recommendations. In turn, the OR and SPD professionals must recognize that IPs operate within complex regulatory, surveillance, and political constraints and are often accountable without authority. Mutual understanding reframes both groups as partners navigating different dimensions of the same patient safety mission. IPs should: Spend full shifts in SPD, including nights and weekends; participate in tray assembly and sterilization loading and unloading; attend surgical services
18 • www. healthcarehygienemagazine. com • march-april 2026