SELF-STUDY SERIES


One way to get staff onboard with an idea is elaborating on findings and results. If you can offer insight, share with staff. I often find divulging a bit of information can give staff a sense of importance or urgency for why a new concept or process needs to be devel- oped. The more staff know and are a part of the process for change, the more staff are likely to remain compliant. You may even find new insightful information that may not have been known during initial investigations. Ultimately, you want staff to have skin in the game, so they feel they took part in the process early on and have a say in workflow processes. Once the Quality team has investigated, the Sterile Processing and Operating Room leaders have planned the correction action and the Education team has deliv- ered the information; it is now time to follow the most crucial step, maintaining compliance. The maintenance process in


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any quality program is often overlooked and is the reason some projects fall apart after all the hard work has been done. All four teams must be dedicated to support- ing and sustaining the quality improve- ment project for it to reach its goal. If one team does not follow-up with staff to ensure progress is going in the correct direction, the results could lead to staff becoming overwhelmed with constant changes in processes, staff not being held accountable and low morale from another unsuccessful attempt to correct an issue. Staff should be provided with an opportunity to know how they are progressing, good or bad. A project can start to dwindle and disappear until there is no recollection of the change if a plan is put into place without supervision. The management of a project within this team should be shared and expressed cohe- sively, the staff should be aware that the final decision was made together to better the perioperative department as a whole.


Conclusion From beginning to end, the process of building your Fantastic Four Team will take time, energy and focus to put together and start completing tasks. The goal is to get started and make progress for the entire perioperative department instead of simply addressing issues on a one-sided scale and truly use resources that are already available to you. I am more than certain that your Quality and Education team are ready to collaborate to reduce their workload and find solu- tions that actually work for everyone. As you start to reach out to your Operating Room leaders, Educators and Quality teams, keep in mind and make everyone on the team aware that these processes and projects may take time to assess, design, plan, implement and review for compliance. As you progress, take time to celebrate wins. Keeping patients safe in our hospitals is a big deal and feedback should be provided to staff to make them aware of the current progress they have contributed to. Our roles as individual leaders in the perioperative setting have evolved throughout the years. Specifically in Sterile Processing, the department that was often discounted and left alone in the basement has now been known to be at the forefront of leading effective initiatives that impact patient safety. Continuing this trend, I believe and look forward to seeing innovative ideas come from the Sterile Processing department, but we absolutely cannot do it alone. Building effective and collaborative teams that bring awareness of broken processes and issues helps in resolving antiquated procedures that no longer work in our day-to-day workflows. All you need to do is reach out and build your own team of superheroes! HPN


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Anna Castillo-Gutierrez, AA, CRCST, S, IS, F, ertified  Instructor is a System Sterile rocess- ing ducator at exas hil- drens ospital. She is a Sterile rocessing techni- cian certified with S and S with nowl- edge of Sterile rocessing standards and guidelines according to I, SI, S, , S and . She is rocurement, Sched- uling and racing Systems nowledgeable. xperienced in purchasing, contract acuisi- tion, proect planning and management.


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