The case cart report card program and continual reminders about
proper instrument care has led to clear process improvements:
• cart failure rate dropped from 7.6% to 1.6%; and
• nearly every member of the surgical team (98%) now understand
the expectations for how case carts should be prepared.
Setting clear expectations about instrument care, and sharing the
reasoning behind the new recommendations, was critical to the pro-
gram's success. "Members of the surgical team now realize stringing
instruments is a safety issue and helps techs in central sterile keep
track of instruments in an organized way," says Ms. Mulligan. "Staff in
both areas are more satisfied when proper instrument care was clear-
ly defined. When you know why you have to do something, it's easier
to comply."
OSM
5 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 9
