JULY - 20228In My OpinionIn the past, Sterile Processing Departments (SPD) processed simple instruments using relatively simple technology and techniques. Today, surgical instrumentation is becoming more complex and less intuitive to process. SPD needs ever evolving technology to meet this growing demand and must become agile and adaptive to technological innovation, shaping their worlds, and ultimately ensuring safe surgical outcomes. Adapting and innovating is the only way SPD will be able to meet the increased demand, workload, and complexity that exists in today's healthcare environment. We need innovators and innovation.Surgical Instrument Tracking SystemsIn the late 90's the first surgical instrument tracking systems started hitting the sterile processing world. Unfortunately, many organizations still do not use them while many SPDs still rely on paper/manual systems. Tracking systems are essential to the success of departments. A surgical instrument tracking system will document the daily washer efficacy testing and routine sterilizer testing. Sterilizers and washers are interfaced with tracking systems to ensure accurate and consistent documentation. SPD techs are required to document decontamination processes, instrument inspection, on screen assembly with missing instrument tracking, sterilization cycles, and scanning to sterile storage and ultimately tracing surgical trays to the patients. Often biological incubators are interfaced with the tracking system, providing excellent and compliant documentation of test results. Many systems are interfaced with surgical scheduling systems ensuring SPD departments plan for critical trays needed for surgery.Advanced departments are integrating competencies into these tracking systems to ensure competencies are documented for all staff as required. Staffs are not allowed by the system to process instruments or to use equipment that they have not been trained on. Surgical trays preventative maintenance is tracked and tied to the tray's usage ensuring trays receive maintenance as they are used. As a result, surgeons have functional working instrumentation for every procedure. Workflows are built for complex instrumentation and endoscopes with complex instrument processing, ensuring SPD staff are compliant with the required steps and the patient has safe, ready to use endoscopes. Infection control has trackability in the event of a surgical site infection outbreak. The organization can see which tray is used on which patient, if all the required steps and tests were completed and documented, and if the tray was used on any other patients.An innovative SPD leader will use the information from the tracking system to make data driven decisions and build business plans. Usage exceeding inventory reports show which trays need to be invested in. Inventory exceeds usage reports show which trays are dead inventory using up valuable space. Marjorie Wall, Director of Sterile Processing, Kaiser PermanenteByTHE TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION IN STERILE PROCESSING
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