quality out Assurance of sterility takes
best tools and best practices by Kara Nadeau
STERILE PROCESSING Quality in,
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T
he Central Service/Sterile Processing & Distribution (CS/SPD) depart- ment is known for its fast-paced environment burdened by high employee turnover and intense pressure to repro- cess instrument sets quickly but also in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFU). All of this impacts the quality of processes and instrumentation, as Sharon Hadley, BSN, RN, CNOR, CSPDM, CHL, CFER, Principal Consultant, STERIS Instrument Processing Solutions, explains. “Quality suffers due to lack of training
for staff, increased com- plexity of instrumenta- tion, time crunches (e.g., ORs pushing staff in both departments to perform turnovers faster), and lack of staff – both qualified and entry-level. Effective
as, our internal surveyors from areas like infection prevention will require higher levels of quality/sterility assurance standards be implemented,” said Mary K. Lane, MHA, CSPDM, CSPDS, CSPDT, MK Lane SPD Consulting. Hadley, Lane and others offer myriad recommen-
Mary K. Lane
dations on assuring CS/SPD quality and sterility, from quick wins to longer-term strategies and approaches, and share their thoughts on the future state of sterile processing.
Sharon Hadley
processes have given way to chaos in many SPDs. Leaders may attempt to perform process improvement, but in reality, they are just trying to keep up with demand in whatever way possible.”
Quality and sterility assurance in the CS/SPD department is only becoming more important as healthcare industry agencies and associations, health systems and hospitals themselves demand greater quality from all areas that impact patient care. “More focus will be put on quality/ sterility assurance and I believe that our Joint Commission surveyors, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI); as well
Staff education and training The often “chaotic” nature of the CS/SPD environment, where technicians are forced to balance quality and safety with OR staff demands for quick instrument turn- around, can leave little time and resources for educational efforts, SPD experts say. Those in the field note how this can lead to technicians being thrown into the fire of the job without adequate training. “SPD staff get rushed to meet quantity quotas that come from finance measures, some staff are still in the learning stage and are afraid to ask questions, others don’t have a good understanding/appreciation as to why quality/sterility assurance is critical to successful patient outcomes, and others lack attention to detail that is so very critical,” said Lane. “In addition, there is no consistency in color of the chemical indicators in SPD and this causes additional confusion for both SPD and the operating room (OR) staff.”
30 January 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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The development of a well-trained team with a high level of knowledge and skill and commitment to patient safety is absolutely neces- sary to improving CS/SPD quality and sterility, according to Seth Hendee, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, CSPDT, CFER, IAHCSMM Approved Instructor, Clinical Education Coordinator, SPD, Healthmark Industries. He points to cur- rent quality gaps between what techni- cians need to know and what many training programs teach them. “In too many processing departments, trainees are routinely ‘trained’ while also being part of daily production,” Hendee noted. “The model is easy to understand considering the limited staff and space many SPD are restricted by, but this style of training rarely allows time for a key piece of information, the ‘why’ behind the process. Without this essential piece of the puzzle, techs may not understand the repercussions of taking short cuts or deviating from facility policy. Any long-lasting solution to this problem will have departments separating train- ing from production and adding clinical knowledge of not only how but why we do what we do.”
Seth Hendee
Hadley says standardized training, using standard work instructions, is becoming a focus for CS/SPD departments. “Leaders responsible for this department are reorganizing staff structure to allow for SPD-certified educators to be added to ensure staff are trained in an organized
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