Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Running on Empty - Outpatient Surgery Magazine - August 2019

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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1. Follow instruments from dirty to clean. The 4 main com- ponents of a sterile processing department are decontamination, inspection/assembly, sterilization and storage. But the inspection neither starts nor ends in those areas. Using what's called the Tracer Method, surveyors will follow instruments from dirty to clean. They'll observe them from the OR post-use until they're returned to the OR for the next procedure. Here's what the sur- veyors will expect to see from your OR and reprocessing staffs: • Point-of-use cleaning. Surveyors want to know that you're cleaning instruments as much as possible during procedures. They're checking that gross debris is removed and lumens are ade- quately flushed so the decontamination process that follows is more efficient and effective. • Transport. Instruments should be transported in a closed con- tainer to prevent spills. They should also be pre-treated with an approved enzymatic foam and kept moist. They must be labeled with a biohazard label. There shouldn't be any holes in packs and wraps, and no missing or damaged container filters. 2. Decontamination documentation. Surveyors will ask to see instrument manufacturers' instructions for use (IFU). They'll want to know that you're following those detailed guidelines on disinfection, cleaning and inspection, and ask you to describe and demonstrate how you're reprocessing in accordance with those written instructions. You should have a 3-basin sink — one for soaking, one for washing and one for rinsing. Remember that the third basin should incorporate either deionized or reverse osmosis treated water. Adding a treatment to the rinse helps to ensure that you are compliant. It will also help your instruments have a longer life. 1 0 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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