HEALTHCARE
PURCHASING EWSN SELF-STUDY SERIES
March 2022 The self-study lesson on this central service topic was developed by STERIS. The lessons are admin- istered by Endeavor Healthcare Media.
Earn CEUs After careful study of the lesson, complete the examination at the end of this section. Mail the completed test and scoring fee to Healthcare Purchasing News for grading. We will notify you if you have a passing score of 70% or higher, and you will receive a certifi cate of completion within 30 days. Previous lessons are available at
www.hpnonline.com.
Certifi cation The CBSPD (Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution) has pre-approved this in-service for one (1) contact hour for a period of fi ve (5) years from the date of original publication. Successful
completion of the lesson and post-test must be documented by facility management and those records maintained by the individual until recertifi cation is required. DO NOT SEND LESSON OR TEST TO CBSPD. For additional information regarding certifi cation, contact CBSPD - 148 Main Street, Suite C-1, Lebanon, NJ 08833 •
www.cbspd.net.
by Cody McElroy, MBA, CSPM, CSPDT
Manual cleaning – the critical human element
M
ost of us perform manual clean- ing every day. Picture a sink full of soapy water, a washcloth or
sponge, a scrub brush and some steel wool pads, and a pile of dirty dishes, pots, cups, utensils, and cooking tools on the counter. Even if you use an automatic dishwasher, you may need to clean off the stuck-on food before you put the items into it, or they won’t get completely clean. It takes time and effort to be sure your dishes and cooking tools are ready for their next use.
HSPA (Healthcare Sterile Processing Associa- tion,
https://myhspa.org) has pre-approved this in-service for 1.0 Continuing Education Credits for a period of three years, until February 10, 2025. The approval number for this lesson is STERIS-HPN 221002. For more information, direct any questions to Healthcare Purchasing News (941) 259-0832.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain the importance of the manual cleaning process
2. Understand the effects of poor manual cleaning
3. Discuss general elements for a robust manual cleaning process
Now imagine a basin full of soiled sur- gical instruments waiting beside a sink. These delicate, complex tools have been inside a living human body repairing damage, removing infected or cancerous tissue, or diagnosing illness. Now they must be readied for the next surgeon or specialist who will need them to help the next patient. Clearly, this job is not as simple as washing your household items. Manual cleaning in a hospital sterile processing department (SPD) is a specific, complex, and labor-intensive process that cannot be taken lightly. Although technology and automation are integral to the instrument process- ing workflow, the manual precleaning process can’t be automated – it requires a careful human touch.
Manual cleaning is serious business
Manual cleaning is arguably the most critical step of the cleaning process. To effectively clean a surgical instrument, technicians must remove all blood and soil. Blood, like other liquids, tends to fl ow over and into joints, hinges, grooves, and other diffi cult-to-clean locations. Unlike other liquids, the sticky blood (possibly mixed with other residual soils) then coagulates and dries into these grooves and joints, which creates a major clean- ing challenge. “Any organic material or residual cleaning agents remaining on an item can inactivate chemical disinfectants or sterilants [and can] … protect micro- organisms from destruction,” according to ANSI/AAMI ST79:2017. Blood is not the only soil that must be removed from surgical instruments. Technicians must identify and remove a variety of biologi- cal and procedural soils, many of which require specifi c techniques.
Cleaning as part of the sterile process-
ing cycle is defi ned as the “removal of contamination from an item to the extent necessary for further processing or for the intended use.”1
tion is a two-step process, and the fi rst step is manual precleaning. Technicians must remove all gross soil during this
Instrument decontamina-
Sponsored by:
Figure 1: Cleaning is the fi rst step in decontamination.
46 March 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
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