Sterile Processing

Dental assistants manage sterilization, infection control, and patient education—yet most states require zero formal training. They earn the lowest wages in dental offices. Meet Sherrie Busby's 42-year mission to secure standardized credentialing and fair recognition. (Audio podcast)

When sterile instruments look perfect but hidden soil remains, patient safety is at risk. In this in-depth ICT article, Marjorie Wall, EDBA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CSSBB, explains why ultrasonic cleaning is not just equipment, but a critical quality system, and how failures in cavitation, lumen flushing, or water quality can quietly undermine infection prevention in the operating room and sterile processing department.

Why small lapses in cleaning can lead to significant infection control consequences—and how dentistry can close the gaps.

In this ICT podcast, HSPA President Arlene Bush reflects on a year of global collaboration, shifting standards, and the realities of compliance in sterile processing. She shares why 2026 should focus on celebrating throughput wins, strengthening training through rounding, and leading with empathy in high-stress departments.

As 2026 begins, Infection Control Today®'s Editorial Advisory Board reflects on a challenging year shaped by misinformation, policy uncertainty, and relentless change, reaffirming a commitment to science, truth, and supporting IPC professionals who keep showing up for patients and public health.

Are you curious what the Top 5 Infection Control Today interviews were in 2025? Read this article to find out.

When infection control slips, the consequences can be serious: patient harm, staff illness, fines from OSHA/local inspectors, and damage to your reputation. That’s why training isn’t optional; it’s essential.

Thank you, IPC professionals, from Infection Control Today!

With hospitals across the country accelerating investments in automation, why does human competence remain vital?

We all know that preventing employee fatigue and burnout requires a multipronged and ongoing effort to address the issue. There’s probably not a company in this nation that hasn’t experienced exhausted and frustrated employees, and the struggle is real to keep everybody engaged and motivated.

Sherrie is back! In this The Clean Bite, she discusses single-use vs Resusable Dental Supplies. Ultrasonic scaler tips, burs, and endodontic files are often reused despite being marketed as single-use. How many patients are at risk from shortcuts in reprocessing?

What is a day in the life of a sterile processing department technician like? Read this article by Hannah Schroeder, BSHA, CRCST, CHL, CIS, CER, to find out.

As ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) expand into new specialties, sterile processing challenges can slow growth or halt operations entirely. Lifeline Surgical Partners—formerly Lifeline Vascular Care—found a scalable, cost-effective solution through offsite reprocessing, allowing their centers to maintain high-quality care while freeing clinical teams to focus on patients.

When traditional cleaning can’t reach hidden biofilm, ultrasonic cleaning steps in—delivering precision, safety, and efficiency across modern medical and dental care.

From ultrasound gel safety to high-level disinfection, The Joint Commission’s 2025 surveys are zeroing in on infection prevention hot spots. Are your teams ready?

Ensuring the sterility of medical devices is a cornerstone of patient safety. This whitepaper examines steam sterilization—the predominant method in healthcare—and the critical role of chemical indicators (CIs) in monitoring process efficacy. With a focus on ISO 11140-1 standards, it compares Type 4 and Type 5 indicators, outlining their strengths, limitations, and implications for reliable sterilization practices.

Check out the latest print edition of Infection Control Today: September/October 2025.

How can health care facilities and health providers implement point-of-use (POU) instrument care? Here’s a closer look at the entire process, the principles guiding its implementation, and the potential barriers to implementing point-of-use instrument care.

Behind every skilled infection preventionist is an educator who lit the spark. If you know someone who’s shaping the future of safety—1 glove, 1 lecture, 1 student at a time—nominate them now for ICT’s 2025 Educator of the Year.

VIM-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isn’t just surviving in ICUs; it’s thriving. With mortality rates exceeding 30%, colonization risks hiding in drains, devices, and even donor milk, IPs must take proactive steps to outsmart this pathogen. Now is the time to double down on environmental controls, risk factor recognition, and surveillance strategies. Let’s break the biofilm cycle before the next outbreak takes root.

As climate change accelerates, health care’s environmental impact faces increased scrutiny, with sterile processing departments (SPDs) emerging as key change agents. Often behind the scenes, SPD professionals can lead sustainability by turning routine practices into ecofriendly protocols that protect both patient and planetary health.

Sharps safety isn’t just an operating room issue—it’s a system-wide concern that demands stronger policies, consistent reporting, and cross-departmental collaboration to truly protect health care workers.

Sterile processing departments are facing a new standard: clean is not clean unless you can see it. At HSPA 2025, experts emphasized that updated IFUs and borescope inspections must be built into routine workflows, not as extra tasks, but as core components of quality control and infection prevention.