HEALTHCARE


PURCHASING EWSN SELF-STUDY SERIES


January 2021 The self-study lesson on this central service topic was developed by STERIS. The lessons are admin- istered by Endeavor Healthcare Media.


Earn CEUs After careful study of the lesson, complete the examination at the end of this section. Mail the completed test and scoring fee to Healthcare Purchasing News for grading. We will notify you if you have a passing score of 70 percent or higher, and you will receive a certifi cate of completion within 30 days. Previous lessons are available at www.hpnonline.com.


Certifi cation The CBSPD (Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution) has pre-approved this in-service for one (1) contact hour for a period of fi ve (5) years from the date of original publication. Successful


completion of the lesson and post-test must be documented by facility management and those records maintained by the individual until recertifi cation is required. DO NOT SEND LESSON OR TEST TO CBSPD. For additional information regarding certifi cation, contact CBSPD - 148 Main Street, Suite C-1, Lebanon, NJ 08833 • www. sterileprocessing.org.


IAHCSMM (International Association of Health- care Central Service Materiel Management)


has pre-approved this in-service for 1.0 Continuing Education Credits for a period of three years, until December 4, 2023. The approval number for this lesson is STERIS-HPN 200412. For more information, direct any questions to Healthcare Purchasing News (941) 259-0832.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES


1. List the standards and guidance documents for container care


2. Explain the importance of cleaning and decontaminating rigid containers after every use


3. Describe the rigid container quality inspection process


Are you reprocessing your instrument containers correctly?


by Pamela Carter


personnel arriving with used rigid contain- ers. Instead of placing them in the queue for cleaning, they inverted the containers, smacked their sides, wiped them with a dry towel and placed new fi lters in them. After this process, the containers and their lids were stacked on a wire shelf in the assembly area. The SPD technician then retrieved these rigid containers to place newly cleaned instruments for sterilia- tion in them.


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When asked about the process, the tech- nician stated, “If the container leaves the surgical suite before the patient comes into the suite, we dont send the containment devices back to the SPD decontamination area for cleaning. Instead, we bring the containers directly to the clean side for instrumentation assembly and packaging. e dont have the time or space to clean them and theyre not dirty anyway. e have been handling our containers this way for years Stunned, I turned to the sterile processing


manager, who immediately recognied the problem and knew corrective action was required to achieve best practices. Not only were the containers instructions for use (I) not being followed, but it was clear that staff didnt realie they were eopar- diing patients, colleagues and the facility.


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Why clean all containers every time? Container systems, which are medical devices, protect instrumentation during and after steriliation. In the course of their use, containers may be exposed to envi- ronmental and procedural contamination. Without proper cleaning and decontamina- tion, those contaminants can be passed on to sterile processing staff who work with the containers, potentially causing inury or illness. Those same residual contaminants could contact instruments and shield microbes from the disinfection or steriliation pro-


28 January 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


hile conducting a processing assessment at a healthcare facil- ity, I noticed a steady  ow of O


cess. This could result in patient exposure in the O, which could lead to an infection. In addition, residual procedural chemicals or disinfectants transferred to instruments can inure patient tissue during the proce- dure, which can complicate recovery and, in some cases, cause permanent disabilities like blindness. Inuring patients and staff can have large


ramifi cations for the facility. or example, in addition to the personal consequences to patients and staff, both the facility and the patient can incur increased costs due to required additional treatment. Facility reputations can also suffer, which can reduce the number of elective patients and ultimately reduce revenue. Ultimately, the failure to properly follow the I can lead to accreditation citings and the potential of losing reimbursement status. Instrument containers serve a critical function in the surgical department. Staff must take the time needed to properly care for them.


Guidance for manufacturers  number of organiations provide guid- ance to packaging manufacturers and to users. The sources most commonly used in the U.S. are the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (MI), ssociation of peri-Operative egistered urses (O), and Interna- tional Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHC- SMM).


There are several different types of packaging used to maintain the integrity of sterilied medical devices. These include peel pouches, woven fabric (muslin, which is rarely used now), non-woven dispos- able wrap, and rigid containers. Packag- ing manufacturers must validate that the packaging/containers they offer ensure sterilant penetration into the contained medical devices, and that they prevent ingress of microbial contaminants and maintain instrument sterility throughout handling, storage, transport and aseptic presentation in the O.


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