CS CONNECTION
volume has steadily increased by at least 10% each year. Anita Cassell, Director of Sterile Processing, engaged upper manage- ment and explained how her team could not handle this additional volume in its current space, with its current equipment and how this could begin to cause delays and backlog of work. Cassell secured approval for the build- ing of a new department that would be over double the size of their current space – 16,000 square feet versus 7,000. Her strategy was to design the new CS/SPD to overcome the team’s pain point areas. It is slated to open in January 2022. “When presented the opportunity for a new department you have to design it for your specific needs and not take a cookie cutter approach” said Cassell. “While every CS/SPD struggles in certain areas, the trouble areas can vary significantly from one department to the next.” One pain point for the department
was decontamination, which was often backlogged according to Cassell. She says there was not enough space in the exist- ing department to add more equipment and staff to accommodate increasing tray volume. She describes this “uncomfort- able area” where staff members were “extremely busy and locked in by so many case carts that it becomes hard to navigate”. Another pain point was the front of the department and entry way where staff from procedural areas came to pick up trays, vendors arrived to drop loaner trays off and pick up, as well as stock consign- ment trays. “In the morning there are people con- stantly ringing the doorbell,” said Cassell. “CS/SPD staff had to stop what they were doing to answer the door or phone. It was a major distraction and disruption to our workflows.” The new CS/SPD has two floors, which presents challenges when designing work- flows that work across two levels but will give us the square footage we need. Cassell and her team decided to use the first floor for decontamination, prep/pack and ster- ilization. The second floor will house case carts and storage, with a clean elevator connecting the two levels.
“The only thing that will happen on the first floor will be production, as the new design gives the ability to eliminate the dis- tractions,” said Cassell. “The second floor will now be the location where unit staff will pick up their sterilized trays, vendors will restock loaners in the newly added vendor room and where all items needing processed will be dropped off, signed in and sent to the decontamination area. All phone calls will be filtered by a unit clerk
to a leader so they do not disrupt staff who are performing the reprocessing.” To boost efficiency, the new department will feature technology from Steelco that automates steps from decontamination through cleaning and all the way to the assembler. Staff members place decontami- nated items on a wash cart and then push onto a conveyor where they will choose appropriate program and all other func- tions will be completed by the automated system, even the ultrasonic.
The conveyer transports the instruments to the sonic and then to the washer. An automated conveyor will then unload the washers and transport the items to a workstation that is flashing green, the light will then turn yellow for in progress. And then will retrieve the wash cart from workstation once flashing green again.
With the “traffic light” at the top of each workstation, staff are able to focus on productivity versus emptying and loading machines.
“We are designing another SPD for a hospital across the street, but we will not implement this automation there because it has only 9 ORs,” said Cassell and we have the opportunity to do it right the first time. “Again, you have to design for your needs and for your “pain point areas”. This is where people go wrong. I really believe you have to address your facility’s own concerns.”
Overcoming storage shortage At Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, part of Advocate Aurora Health, instrument and device advance- ments and growing case volumes were Page 32
Skokie Hospital, Illinois
Sink installation
Sterilizer installation
Team
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