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CS CONNECTION stored waist high and lightweight items


on top and bottom shelves.


Height adjustable processing sinks, work- stations and assembly tables that adjust to the various heights of the employees are growing in popularity as well, as depart- ments seek new solutions for improved ergonomics.


“These allow the technician to adjust the height of the work area to fit their needs. sk anyone who has been bent over a sink decontaminating instruments all day and they will tell you that these adjustable height workstations are very beneficial, noted goston. ccording to ary


Olivera, President/CEO, OSPECS Consulting, arranging and organizing workstatio ns


c an


efficiently reduce steps, optimizing the time needed to assemble a set. ll materials needed such as integrators, tamper proof locks, filters, replacement instrumentation, etc. should be organized in the order which they are used and within arms reach, she stated. ark the loca- tions to be alerted when something is out of place. Standardizing all workstations with the same set up not only will increase efficiency but also reduce instrument set assembly errors.


Mary Olivera


Error reduction eprocessing instruments right the first time saves time and labor downstream. s goston explains, events such as holes in wrap, missing instruments, dirty instru- ments, missing sterilization integrators and sterilization failures add work for CS/SPD professionals, can result in case delays in the OR and put patient safety at risk. goston stresses the need to accurately track these events so that the CS/SPD can address these issues and make continuous improvements to its processes. “These unrecorded events can have a substantial negative impact on efficiency of the  and D, he said. eal-time event information is critical to a highly functioning SPD. You can’t solve a problem that you do not know you have. Having a comprehensive and accurate event report- ing system is a critical need for all facilities treating patients. Every event, whether or not it impacts the patient, is important to track so that problem areas can be identified and corrected.


Service programs


Keeping equipment in the CS/SPD up and running is another critical factor to maintaining high efficiency and productiv- ity levels. Understanding the correlation between properly functioning washers, sterilizers and other key machinery and


A lesson in gaining leadership support for efficiency improvements


Post-COVID, Fairfield Medical Center has gained leadership buy-in for CS/SPD improvements that are increasing both the efficiency of its operations and the quality of instruments delivered to procedural areas. These include:


• Improved water quality to protect instruments and equipment from damage (e.g., scale for- mation, corrosion), staining and discoloration. Keeping these assets functioning and available reduces downtime and the extra time/labor required to switch compromised instruments out of trays.


• Engagement with a sterilization wrap recycling provider where the operating room (OR) staff places used wrap in a designated container, rather than sending it to the CS/SPD for disposal. Saved time and labor in the CS/SPD since they no longer are taking out the OR’s “trash.”


• New hire education program, which includes a certification class with hands-on training on instrument handling, cleaning, assembly and sterilization, and mentoring by an experienced staff member. Boosts efficiency by enabling new technicians to get up to speed quicker on the right way to process instrumentation. It has also decreased the tray assembly error rate down to less than 1%, minimizing the need for time-consuming rework.


prompt instrument turn-around times, a growing number of CS/SPDs are making investments in preventive maintenance  programs. “Equipment service programs are shift- ing to provide maintenance on a frequency determined by equipment usage (cycle counts versus arbitrary freuency to improve euipment uptime, said olston.


How to get leadership buy-in For hospitals struggling with the financial consequences of the pandemic and efforts focused on revenue generating areas, including the OR, it might seem like a tough time for the CS/SPD to secure resources for improvements. Educating hospital leaders on the critical link between effective and efficient D operations and successful surgical procedures can help pave the way for investments in the department. “Healthcare leadership is constantly chal- lenged to improve workows, eliminate waste, reduce costs and improve efficiency, said Ramos. “Post-pandemic, that need is more evident than ever, as leaders realize the need to align workows based on solid data points. In an effort to gain support for its effi- ciency and quality improvements, the CS/ D team at Fairfield edical enter, a -bed, nonprofit,  hospital in Lancaster, OH, brought the hospital’s chief executive officer , chief operating officer , chief nursing officer  and head of epidemiology and infection control into the department for a hands- on lesson in tray assembly. The effort was led by Steven Teaford, Sterile Processing anager, pecialtyare, who provides sterile processing consulting services to the department. They set each member of the leadership team down in front of an instrument set and gave them basic instructions on assembly. bout  of the time the leader would get to the third instrument in the set and raise an issue, according to Teaford, whether it was a missing or mislabeled instrument, or one that appeared compromised in some way. In many cases, when a member of the CS/SPD team sought out a replacement item in storage there was no item available, or the back-up item was also in poor shape.  lot of good things have happened since we brought them down here to actually see the struggles we have, noted Teaford. “Our credibility among leadership has increased, so when we ask for something they understand that it is something we truly need. HPN


ee ide f deil  ifield edicl Ce- e C efficiec iee.


22 July 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


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