STERILE PROCESSING
Effi ciency, profi ciency in reprocessing by Kara Nadeau Photo credit: tadamichi |
stock.adobe.com T
here is no rest for the weary in healthcare. This expression applies not only to frontline healthcare work- ers but also those responsible for patient care and safety behind the scenes, in this case, Central Service/Sterile Processing & Distribution (CS/SPD) department professionals.
While pandemic-related stops and starts for elective surgeries have been highlighted all over the U.S. media, researchers from Stanford Medicine have found rates for almost every major category of surgical procedure have quickly rebounded to 2019 levels.1
At the same time, most CS/SPD depart-
ments continue to struggle with staffi ng shortages and high turnover rates. In many departments, a small core group of individuals responsible for reprocessing high volumes of instruments and devices are constantly pressured to train new technicians. How can CS/SPD department teams
do more with less; maintaining or even improving the quality and safety of instru- ment and device reprocessing? And what about the latest elephant in the room fi nd- ing resources to comply with the recently released ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021, Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities, which impacts sterile processing workfl ows CS/SPD department professionals share ways they have improved workflows despite the current challenges, and sup- pliers comment on equipment, supplies and solutions that can support workfl ow improvement initiatives.
The power of people Kenneth Campbell, CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, joined Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. as Director of Sterile Processing in early 2021 to find the department’s workfl ows had been sig- nificantly impacted by staffi ng shortages. In a geographic region
with no sterile processing schools or other forms of
Kenneth Campbell
formal CS/SPD education, Campbell had eight open positions to fi ll, for which only one certifi ed technician applied but uickly backed out because of a higher paying opportunity elsewhere. ith 0 years in the SSP fi eld, 1 of which was spent in the military, Campbell has been through the ranks of technician, lead, manager, supervisor, assistant direc- tor and now director. He understands the importance of establishing a career path for his team members where they can strive to get to the next level and have an incentive to help train others. As a result, Campbell has gone far beyond
fi lling acant positions to building a stable, educated, and motivated team who could grow in the organization and in the profes- sion. He established a CS/SPD career track for the medical center: Tech 1 (someone without certification), Tech 2 (certified technician), ech (has additional certifi ca- tions), Tech 4 (CS/SPD lead). “With this career track in place, team members can see that with more respon- sibility comes more money. They can
38 July 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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visualize their worth, where they want to go and how to get there,” said Campbell. This strategy has enabled Campbell to retain experienced CS/SPD profession- als who now have the incentive to train entry-level technicians, many of whom Campbell has recruited internally from other departments in the medical center. This includes kitchen and Environmental Services (EVS) staff members with no prior sterile processing experience but the desire for change and the opportunity to grow professionally.
Educating team members on best prac- tices from the very beginning and continu- ously reinforcing the standards helps drive uality, safety and effi ciency, according to Campbell. He has started by educating staff on the basics of cleaning, stressing how steps skipped on the “dirty side” result in double work for staff on the “clean side.” To help his team comply, Campbell has posted materials depicting standard work- fl ows that break down each step of each process in each distinct area throughout the department. Although standards are important, Campbell acknowledges the importance of encouraging team members to speak up when something is not work- ing and don’t be afraid to say, “Let’s do it differently.” He states:
“Getting everyone involved and showing how their ideas are valued and efforts are being noticed is what takes a department to the next level of success. Every depart- ment, not just the CS/SPD, needs that level of engagement so employees feel they are part of the team and have ownership of their work.”
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