STERILE PROCESSING
say their facilities use such a system (62%) or are currently in the process or planning stage (6%), which is unchanged from 2021.
• Efforts on emerging disease safety dip slightly: Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer survey respondents said they have a safety training program in place for handling instruments for patients with suspected emerging dis- eases (46% in 2022, 49% in 2021), and there was a slight dip on those in the planning stages (3% in 2022, 4% in 2021).
• Sterile processing workflow manage- ment systems grow in popularity: More departments reported using workflow management systems this year, with 53% saying “yes” compared with 46% in 2021.
• Reprocessing related outbreak measures continue: Similar to last year, nearly half (46%) of survey respondents reported that their facilities had put new measures in place.
While the survey did not include ques- tions related to robotic surgery, those inter- viewed commented on increased use of the technology and its impact on the CS/SPD department. “We do continue to modify our workflows to be more efficient and we are seeing some more technology, such as robots for total knees and DaVinci robot rooms, increasing,” said Bohlman.
“Robotic instrumentation is booming, with the promise of a new surgical proce- dure standard that produces faster surgery with less hospital stay,” said Jelks. “Even smaller community hospital surgeons are trained to this technology. Robotic instru- ments require more critical thinking skills for technicians as they have very complex reprocessing steps from decontamination to sterilization.”
Strengthening the sterile processing profession
While the CS/SPD profession is making tremendous strides in generating increased recognition and respect within the healthcare field, it is clear that much work still needs to be done, particularly with regards to compensation.
CS/SPD professionals offer their thoughts on what needs to be done to further advance the profession.
Call on hospital leaders “While most hospitals recognize the efforts of nursing staff during National Nurses Week (NNW), they rarely acknowledge Sterile Processing Week,” said Bonner. “I call on hospital leaders to acknowledge the important work of their CS/SPD teams. Most hospitals also fail to reward sterile processing staff members who maintain their certification, while the award annual
SALARY BY TYPE OF FACILITY Hospital, Standalone
Hospital, Teaching Facility
Surgi-Center/Ambulatory Center IDN/Alliance/Multi-group Clinic
48% $58,070 24% $79,535 15% $89,148 12% $52,261 1% $57,500
Long-Term Care Facility/Home Healthcare 1% $37,500
SALARY BY TIME IN CS/SPD Less than 2 2 - 4 5 - 9
10 - 14 15 - 19 20 - 24
more than 25
3% $46,500 4% $46,428 14% $53,300 18% $63,703 15% $63,865 18% $67,306 29% $82,362
SALARY BY TIME AT FACILITY Less than 2 2 - 4 5 - 9
10 - 14 15 - 19 20 - 24
more than 25 44 March 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
12% $59,772 21% $73,027 19% $76,333 19% $62,705 10% $66,000 8% $53,214 11% $67,105
bonuses to nurses who do. While hospitals may invest in sterile processing education, they neglect the compensation part of the equation.”
Thurmond agrees. “SP professionals should continue to provide excellent service and look for opportunities to show their worth to their organizations,” he said. “They should invite members of the C-Suite to the department for a visit and present their suc- cesses and challenges and share what keeps them awake at night. For so long, we have been the ‘unseen heroes.’ It is more than time that we are seen and recognized for our role in patient care, and there are many things we all can do to move the needle in a positive direction.”
Demonstrate value “We must continue to improve ourselves and our profession daily, said Berg. “Yes, it is about the patient and about providing the best in reprocessing, but we need to tell our story through data and quality outcomes. We must be known for our knowledge and expertise regarding instrumentation and reprocessing, and how we make a positive and proven impact to the hospital, depart- ment and profession.”
“Once we show this worth, asking for better things and more recognition becomes easier,” he added. “I can say from personal experience that showing your team how important they are and listening to feedback and ideas is critical and will help with staff satisfaction and retention.”
Stay on top of the game “The biggest statement an SP technician can make to improve the state of the profession is to become certified,” said Jelks. “Second to certification is joining an SP professional organization such as HSPA (
myHSPA.org). Last but not the least, to improve the state of the profession, we must stay educated and current with trends and standards, which can be achieved by reading recommenda- tions and journal and magazine articles, including HSPA’s PROCESS magazine. Whatever becomes the latest trend for sur- gery also becomes our responsibility to keep patients safe.”
Prudent encourages CS/SPD profession- als to empower themselves. “Communicate with others, stand up for the patient and what is right, pursue your own education and promote the profession,” she said. “Become a member of Healthcare Sterile Processing Association and join the team of committees to raise the bar on patient safety. There is safety in numbers and everyone in the field has something to contribute. Become pas- sionate and become a volunteer and patient advocate. You are needed!” HPN
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