The Critical Role of
Sterile Supply Management During COVID By John Jorge, CSD/SPD Director at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center
It is no secret that hospitals around the world are under extreme pressure to maintain a safe and sterile environment while managing a rapid influx of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts have put pressure on both hospital staff and supplies. Many hospitals are facing significant backlogs as they scrambled to provide treatment to COVID patients as efficiently as possible while also ensuring that they address the needs of other patients. For many hospital managers, this unprecedented scenario highlights areas where hospital operations are oſten at risk – including workflows and procedures related to sterilization. As these challenges continue, there is growing evidence that hospitals that took steps to integrate a sterile repro- cessing management solution before the pandemic are beter positioned to maintain top-level patient care.
Staying safe and organized with T-DOC by Getinge When the pandemic hit, hospitals were thrown into a world of chaos as we worked to treat patients and keep staff members safe. I heard many stories from colleagues at other hospitals who quickly ran out of sterilized products that resulted in procedure delays and significant disruptions in workflows. Hospital teams oſten had to scramble to find the products they needed. Thanks to our asset tracking system called T-DOC 2000, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center was able to stay ahead during these challenging times. Installed in 2001, T-DOC 2000 provides access to full trace-
ability of instruments and other goods the operating room needs. The system also documents all the sterile processing steps necessary to ensure regulatory compliance and quality
assurance. The T-DOC solution seamlessly integrates into our existing scheduling, materials management and finance systems. With this capability in place, when the pandemic hit, the automatic prioritization feature made it possible to identify and triage the instruments that need to be processed to prevent scheduling and operating room delays. T-DOC also integrates with our materials management system, which helps reduce the risk of backorders and replenish instruments that are needed for upcoming procedures. Our T-DOC system continues to manage these needs even as we see rapid exponential growth in patient admissions.
Addressing problems before they happen Keeping washers and sterilizers running at optimal levels is imperative during regular times and even more so during times of crisis. A second resource called Getinge Online provides digital support to manage workflows and address problems before they arise. Through this online platform we can access extensive real-time information on our Getinge washers and sterilizers, 24/7 from any location. The system also sends an alert text message if there is an equipment error or when an important process is complete. If there is an issue, I can go back through the last 30 printouts to confirm and address the problem. I am also able to com- municate with members of the Getinge service team and stop or start any instrument sterilization procedure, all from my phone. The service also provides detailed analytics that help assess the performance of Getinge equipment as well as related throughput, productivity, and ensure compliance and regulatory requirements.
Sterilization in a post-pandemic world As we begin to recover from the pandemic, the importance of efficient workflows and high-level sterilization remains top of mind for physicians and hospital decision makers. Systems like T-DOC that allow for integrated use and real-time monitoring can help ensure departments have the tools they need to beter support patients by reducing surgery delays while ensuring patient and physician safety. Without these solutions, we would not be able to provide patients with the care they need.
T-DOC 2000 ensures full traceability of instruments and other surgical assets.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Trinity Health, Trinity Health Of New England, or their affili- ates (collectively, Trinity Health) or their respective officers, directors or employees. Trinity Health has not received any compensation as part of this article.
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