dors: Does the repair rate include complete refurbishing? How do
you price instrument repairs that are not on the price list? What is
the vendor's availability for repairs?
Stop engraving your instruments. One of the potential root
causes of instrument damage might surprise you: instrument
engraving, which could lead to the formation of biofilm in the result-
ing troughs. With high-resolution close-ups and prevention highlights,
the book also brings you face to face with damaged pin cutters, flak-
ing orthopedic mallets and bent insufflation needles.
Inspect instruments with a sharp eye. A key to improving
patient safety as well as physician satisfaction? Identify issues
with instruments at the point of inspection, rather than at the point of
use. Better for a reprocessing tech to identify a dull scalpel blade than
a surgeon. Make this happen, says Mr. Schultz, by building a proactive
instrument quality management program.
Size matters (down to the millimeter). What is the difference
in the bite size of a Kerrison rongeur and its bite opening? Your
reprocessors had better know instrument measurement specifica-
tions, not only for identification purposes but for patient safety as
well. Clinical outcomes can come down to mere millimeters. It was
incredibly useful to read Mr. Schultz's explanation of the various tools
available for validating instrument length, degrees of angle and the
important differences in these measurements across instrument spe-
cialties.
3
4
2
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 1
