How Clean are your Surgical Instruments?

Introduction

Sterile processing leaders offer key insights on what they use to confirm and improve sterility.

Just because an instrument has been reprocessed doesn’t mean that it’s clean.

In some cases, that’s because reprocessing techs are rushing and forced to sometimes cut corners behind the scenes as the daily crush of the OR schedule begins to back up.

“The numerous patients treated per day in ASCs can lead to a need to turn over instruments rapidly and rush or skip steps, which poses a risk of improperly processed instruments,” says Densley Coke, MBA, BSHM, CST, CRCST, CHL, CER, central sterile processing manager for Northside Hospital-Forsythe in Cumming, Ga., and a director on the Board of the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), which represents sterile processing professionals worldwide.

“Some ASCs attempt to keep costs down and add to productivity by reprocessing instruments used in previous cases for their next case on the schedule,” says Mr. Coke. “This makes it difficult for sterile processing staff to process these instruments thoroughly. If instruments are not properly cleaned and sterilized according to manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFU) and best practices, the patient can develop a surgical site infection.”

However, even ASCs that act responsibly with scheduling to ensure their reprocessing techs aren’t rushed may not truly know how clean their reprocessed instruments actually are. That’s where cleanliness verification tools come in.

Savvy facilities and their sterile processing leaders are using technologies like chemical indicators, biological test strips, borescopes, lighted magnification, water testing and instrument-tracking systems to make sure their instruments truly are clean. In turn, they gain much higher assurance that those instruments are safe to use on their patients.