CS CONNECTION
personal protective equipment (PPE), which has been in short supply and high demand, 30% have spent time cleaning and disinfecting durable medical equip- ment, and 19% have been cleaning and restocking code carts.
“In a short period, the world went from
a standard of professionals required to use PPE for work-related reasons to an emer- gency need by the public for everyone’s safety,” said Rohmann. “To this date, we are still experiencing shortages due to backorders. Our world was caught unpre- pared for something of this magnitude and continues to feel the ramifi cations.” Rohmann notes how the reprocessing of N-95 masks during the pandemic, while necessary to combat shortages of this criti- cal PPE, has been “a monumental change” to processes. “This is the fi rst instance of reprocessing
a single use item as ‘acceptable’ that I have experienced,” he stated. “This has forced us as an SPD profession to disregard one of the oldest rules in our business.” Among those surveyed, 52% said they have supported additional departments during the pandemic, with 39% saying their CS/SPDs reassigned staff members to help clean in other hospital areas. Many believe the work of CS/SPD professionals to support additional areas of their hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic has served to increase recogni- tion for the profession and its importance to patient care and safety.
“I think COVID-19 has shined a bright light on the Sterile Processing department in a good way,” said Patty Taylor, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CFER, Clinical Supervisor, Central Ster- ile. MHP Medical Cen- ter, Shelbyville, IN., and IAHCSMM Board Mem- ber. “When PPE started running out and everyone asked, What can we do?,
Patty Taylor
the Sterile Processing team stepped up and did not only their everyday work, but also took on reprocessing of the N95 masks, PAPR hoods, reusable sterile gowns and more with little hesitation.”
Turning within
CS/SPD professionals also reported focusing internally on their department’s operations during the pandemic, with 42% saying their teams reorganized and evaluated instrument usage and storage, 34% updated instructions for use (IFU) and other sterile processing policies, and 13% turned their attention to staff certifi cation. More than half (54%) said their depart- ments implemented new processes or procedures in light of the pandemic, with an additional 4% currently in the process or planning stages.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced signifi cant change in the CPD, there are many elements of the profession that have remained the same. As Rohm- ann explains, CS/SPD professionals have
$86,521 SALARY BY REGION WITH BREAKOUTS BY GENDER
Pacifi c Mountain $69,806 PACIFIC - 12%
7% $72,115 6% $103,545
MOUNTAIN - 9%
7% $74,731 2% $63,125
CENTRAL - 26%
21% $52,500 5% $57,800
SOUTHEAST - 13%
11% $53,182 2% $81,875
2% of survey respondents chose not to disclose their gender
28 April 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com Central $53,539 NORTHEAST - 38%
29% $61,232 8% $67,813
always faced the threat of exposure to dangerous viruses and other pathogens; therefore, universal precautions will remain a key consideration during the pandemic and beyond. “Those two words are our mantra in SSPD for self-preservation,” he noted. “We deal with far worse contaminants (than SARS-CoV-2) on a daily basis. This is something that we must assume will be part of every shift we punch the clock for. It is not a requirement for PD to be notifi ed when instrumentation has been exposed to HIV, Hepatitis C and B to name a few. Decontam will always be one of the most dangerous places to work in a hospital.” As always, “quality and commitment to patient safety through the delivery of clean and sterile surgical instrumentation” remains at the forefront of CS/SPD opera- tions and has only been heightened during the pandemic, according to Lane. “The resilience and integrity of the SPD/ CSSD team never ceases to amaze me,” she observed. “While the staff is always committed to doing their best at all costs, they truly seem to shine even brighter when faced with adversity. During this pandemic, the SPD/CSSD has been faced with many hurdles some of which were sterilizing single-use face masks due to shortages of PPE and working less hours in some instances due to the downturn in surgical volumes; however, the ‘can do’ attitude of the staff continued to shine.” With regard to reporting structure, the results were similar to last year, with the following functions reporting directly to the CS/SPD head in their facility: Sterile processing (97%), decontamination (92%), case carts (58%), medical equipment cleaning/disinfection (44%) and GI/ endoscopy (35%).
Northeast
$63,743 Southeast
$57,596
Unfortunately, not all CS/SPD profes- sionals have weathered the pandemic unscathed from an employment perspec- tive with 32% of those surveyed saying their organizations furloughed CS/SPD employees during the pandemic, and 4% reporting department closures.
Workfl ow, technology trends As in past years HPN asked survey respondents questions related to the latest technologies and trends they are seeing in the profession and industry. The growing number of products and services developed by vendors for the CS/SPD is evidence of the increased recognition for the importance of the profession, according to Tony Thurmond, CRCST, CIS, CHL, Manager, Sterile
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