AAMI Offers New Book for Sterile Processing Departments

A new book from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) tells sterile processing departments how they can get ready for accreditation surveys.

The goal of the new book, "Sterile Processing in Healthcare Facilities: Preparing for Accreditation Surveys," is to be a one-stop resource for sterile processing departments.

When you start digging for information just for sterile processing, you have to go through these huge manuals, says Rose Seavey, the books author and president of Seavey Healthcare Consulting LLC in Arvada, Colo. AAMI put all of that information into one comprehensive document. The idea is that people can understand or find the information that they need to be ready for their accreditation survey.

Sterile processing departments can expect additional scrutiny from surveyors as the issue of preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) heats up, Seavey says.

The Joint Commissions National Patient Safety Goals and national initiatives by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations to reduce HAIs are two examples of why sterile processing is under the spotlight with accreditation agencies, the book reads.

The book includes best practices and tools to help a department get ready for the  surveys. For example, the book includes a sample audit sheet which can be used to reveal weaknesses that can be addressed before an accreditation survey uncovers them.

It is available for $95 for AAMI members and $160 for nonmembers. The order code is SPHC, and the source code is PB. To order copies, call +1-877-249-8226.