SPD RESOURCE GUIDE


Pandemic pitch-in promotes partnership SPD staff drawn outside comfort zone to assist in maintaining


equipment, workspace safety for patient care by Ebony Smith


Photo credit: magdal3na | stock.adobe.com F


One common thread woven throughout the ongoing COVID- 19 public health emergency is


fl exibility. Healthcare has faced multiple changes


and challenges. Staff have adapted their schedules, workloads, workspaces, per- sonal protective equipment (PPE) and practices to meet the needs of patient care and safety for all in hospitals, ORs and healthcare facilities. Sterile rocessing and Distribution


SD departments play an essential role in care and infection control in medical environments. SD technicians must consistently achieve the highest stan- dards and practices in reprocessing and delivering clean and sterile instruments, devices and equipment for safe use on patients undergoing surgical or critical care procedures. The pandemic, however, has thrown


many curve balls at healthcare and SD. The impact is widespread, including declining elective surgeries, increased hygiene and cleaning safety measures, PPE shortages, schedule shifts or cuts and additional needs in other areas of care, to name a few. SD professionals, though, have stepped up to the plate, changed the line-up and provided necessary services in SD and other departments within their settings.


Work rotation, support During the ensuing COVID-19 crisis, what are the biggest challenges in SD depart ments, staffi ng and workplaces? Two of the biggest challenges in SD depart ments during the pandemic are related fl uctuating staffi ng needs and facil ity fi nancial stress, indicated asey Stan islaus arnowski, , ST, SDT,


IS, , erioperative ducator for Sterile ro cessing. ith continual changes in the types of surgeries that facilities are allowing, the need for technician power has fl uc tuated greatly. any hos pitals have had to lay off permanent staff or cancel traveler contracts during restrictions on elective procedures, and then have had to attempt to recall staff when procedures again opened up. This has exacerbated the fi nancial stress that facilities were feeling due to overtime, staff illness, and limited surgery schedules.  Health airviews entral Sterile Ser


Casey Czarnowski


vices Department SSD pulled together to accommodate infection control safety protocols at the facility, as well as staff work arrange- ments needed as a result of the pandemic, notes the department director, ori  errer, S, ST, ST. The department is the recipient of Healthcare Purchasing News  Sterile rocessing Department of the ear. ear was evident in all of us from the


Lori Ferrer


onset of the pandemic, errer emphasied. “Our team focused on staying positive and diligent about the safety for ourselves, col- leagues, visitors and our patients. asking, social distancing and constant change in our work practices converted into our new norm. e are fortunate to have a strong, resilient team with many years of experience. She added, ur biggest challenge was


our fl uctuating staffi ng needs. ur daily routines were tossed out and a new way of thinking, acting and working emerged.


34 May 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


ork commitments were difficult for team members personally and profes- sionally. Schoolage children were now at home learning remotely with parents now scrambling to fi nd child care so they could go to work. s surgical volumes resume, we need to evaluate our T budget to fi ll the vacancies that transpired during the pandemic months. eff aquet, , mmic edical Sys tems, observes a pause in improvements to SD work settings as facilities remain focused on the crisis and care. “The biggest challenges we have seen in the industry is that hospitals have largely put on hold capital improvement projects in SD departments, aquet indicated. ost renovations are being driven by defi ciencies in workspaces or equipment. Against the backdrop of dealing with the challenges of the pandemic, SD staff had to continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities in work areas and with equipment that made their jobs more diffi cult. s surgery volumes dipped, SD turned to supporting other work within facilities, points out my lynn, S arket anager, Hnel Storage Systems. hen surgeries were fi rst cancelled,


SDs should have had the opportunity to evaluate their storage situations with appropriate improvements in terms of fl oor space and inventory control, lynn shared. Instead, SD staff were shifted to other areas in the hospital where they could best contribute against COVID-19 in an ‘all hands on deck approach. heron  oo, , ST, IS,


, , H, linical ducator oordinatorSD, Healthmark Industries, highlights changes in duties and lives of SD staff impacted by the crisis.


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