Sterile Processing

It’s 10 o’clock. The patient is prepped; the doctor is ready for surgery. Do you know where your containers are? Given the increasing complexity of surgical devices, increasing workloads and reduced staffing, there is no wonder that there has been a rise in equipment related issues leading to potential patient safety issues as well as a rise in surgical site and hospital acquired infections.

Every central service (CS) department should have a designated educator. In fact, I believe that the need for a well-trained educator in this department is as great – if not greater -- than for any other department in the hospital. 

Their locations in the hospital may be disparate, but the infection prevention and sterile processing departments share a common goal -- pro-tecting the welfare and safety of patients. To achieve the level of communication and collaboration necessary to uphold this objective, both departments must understand the role they play, says Sharon Greene-Golden, CRCST, FCS, sterile processing manager for DePaul Medical Cen-ter, a part of Bon Secours Health System in Virginia.

A gift from the Dr. G. Clifford & Florence B. Decker Foundation will enable Binghamton University biologists and their colleagues to conduct tests and research that will improve health outcomes for patients in Southern Tier hospitals with conditions ranging from ear infections to cancer.

A ground-breaking meeting of the minds in October 2011 has led to a new draft standard from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) that will provide sterile processing professionals with the means to address quality management systems.

For the millions of people forced to rely on a plastic tube to eliminate their urine, developing an infection is nearly a 100 percent guarantee after just four weeks. But with the help of a little bubble-blowing, biomedical engineers hope to bring relief to urethras everywhere.

Located in the heart of Phoenix, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center is a 607-bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. Founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph’s was the first hospital in the Phoenix area. The hospital is part of Dignity Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the West, with more than 40 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada.