STERILE PROCESSING
• Certified Sterile Processing Distribution Technician (CSPDT) 20% in 2023 up to 23% in 2023
• Flexible Endoscope Reprocessor Certification (CFER): 19% in 2023 up from 17% in 2022
• Certified Surgical Technician (CST): 12% in 2023 up from 10% in 2022
• SPD Technician Certification: 10% in 2023 up from 7% in 2022
• Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST): 66% in 2023 up from 69% in 2022
• Certified Instrumentation Specialist (CIS): 30% in 2023 down from 32% in 2022
• Certified HSPA Instructor: 2% in 2023 down from 6% in 2022
• SPD Manager Certification (CSPDM): 4% in 2023 down from 5% in 2022 According to Hughes, staffing shortages
have made it harder to find the time and resources for SPD departments to train new staff members and provide opportunities for current staff to advance in their educa- tion. She stated:
“When there are shortages in staff, it is a
challenge to train new staff, to get education to all staff, to encourage staff to partici- pate in meetings or associations and to not become burnt out. All those things are nec- essary to have a well-trained proactive staff, but we are focused on getting the needed instruments ready for cases because the patient is our first priority.” SPD professionals reporting 10 or more continuing education courses/lessons each year dropped from last year, at 80% in 2023 down from 88% in 2022, as did those who indicated they participated in 20 or more courses/lessons, 39% in 2023 down from 44% in 2022.
McGlynn’s advice to current and next generation SPD professionals with regards to furthering their education and careers: “Let negativity go. Follow your own path.” She stated:
“Get involved with your chapters whether
you’re new to the field or seasoned. Get your certifications. Hospitals are starting to look into upgrading our pay. Hopefully, that means the certifications will pay off for your efforts. Having a solid founda- tion from learning and retaining from your certifications will be key for your future. Share your knowledge with everyone. I am sharing all my resources with my co- workers. As a lead, I integrate listening to SPD podcasts during our shift when there is an interesting topic.”
“We must cut the chains off everything that is gatekeeping education and infor- mation is the best way to support every- one,” she added. “Information is going to help our SPDs get the equipment we need;
being able to show data when asking for support from the C-suite. We should be building our confidence as professionals because we are professionals. Knowledge is going to help the individual build their skillset and become more valuable to their department.”
Reporting, processes and technologies
When looking at hospital reporting struc- tures and which functions report directly to the SPD department heads in their facilities, there was an 11% jump in survey respon- dents that said GI/Endoscopy reports to the head of SPD (41% in 2023 up from 30% in 2022).
There was a 4% increase across the board for storeroom, medical equipment cleaning/ disinfection, and central transport reporting to the SPD department head compared with the 2022 survey results. Conversely, there was a 3% decrease in respondents who said decontamination and case carts reported to their department heads.
When asked if their facility had changed its methodology around the use of manu- facturer instructions for use (IFU), there was a 9% increase in SPD professionals who reported changes, (25% in 2023 up from 16% in 2022). There was an 8% increase in those stating their facilities had put new mea- sures (process and/or products) in place to further minimize the risk of reprocessing related outbreaks (52% in 2023 up from 44% in 2022).
Survey respondents that said their facili- ties use track and trace systems for their instruments increased by 3% (65% in 2023 up from 62% in 2022), while reporting use of sterile processing workflow management systems dropped by 7% (46% in 2023, down from 53% in 2022). As in past years, most respondents use steam sterilization (98%). There was a decrease in those reporting use of hydro- gen peroxide (76% in 2023 down from 85% in 2022), immediate use steam steriliza- tion (41% in 2023 down from 50% in 2022), gas plasma (27% in 2023 down from 31% in 2022), and EtO (4% in 2023 down from 11% in 2022).
There was little change in those using Cidex OPA (31% in 2023 down from 32% in 2022), glutaraldehyde (12% in 2023 up from 10% in 2022), peracetic acid (25% both years), UV-C (2% both years), and ozone (2% both years).
Complex technologies prompt demand for advanced SPD solutions “As the world of technology becomes more and more complex so does the advance- ment of instruments,” said Weir. “Some
instruments we are tasked to clean take an hour to just do the manual cleaning process, tie that in with the other 30-110 cases a day and it is just plain crazy. 3D printed models are being used more and more and their IFUs are so complex that we still need to reference them each time we get them in and sterilize them.”
With regards to the growing complexity of surgical technology and its impact on SPD professionals, Jelks offered the example of reprocessing robotic arms, commenting on how it requires “a very labor-intensive process of inspecting and decontaminating.” “Robotic arms have a short life span, and technicians must be mindful of expiration indicators prior to and after reprocessing,” said Jelks. “Departments without proper disinfection machines and equipment for reprocessing arms will have a harder time prioritizing and completing trays due to the amount of work it takes to manually reprocess robotic arms.”
McGlynn feels growing education among SPD professionals has prompted them to increasingly demand of decision makers the technologies they need to perform effective and safe instrument reprocess- ing. She stated:
“I have noticed a shift in the way funds are being invested into our departments. Ideally, we want every SPD to have all the bells and whistles to provide top notch care every time an instrument is reprocessed. In the past, you would not even bother asking for a borescope because most techs were not even aware of what a borescope is. Now, they are more educated enough to ask the hospital to provide one so they can properly follow the IFU. It seems to me companies are trying to keep the staff they have which means equipment needs to be fixed and updated.” In her work, Nicholson provides financial education to SPD managers to help them navigate the complex process of yearly bud- geting and capital requests in the hospital so they can make their case to leadership on what their department requires in terms of staffing and equipment. She pointed to the increase in mass shoot- ings in the U.S. and how hospitals presented with multiple victims may not have the instrument sets required to care for all of them, stating: “Before, if there was a shooting, there
were maybe one or two people requiring emergency care but now hospitals are being presented with five or 10 victims all at once. In SPD, we may not have enough instru- ment trays to support care of these patients or find ourselves having to reallocate trays intended for scheduled surgeries to these trauma cases.” HPN
hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • June 2022 39
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