Henderson. He says
staff who think they're
already doing a great
job taking care of
instruments might balk
at verifying their work.
He therefore empha-
sizes the importance of
showing them the test-
ing is worth the extra
effort.
"When we first start-
ed performing the ver-
ification test, all of our scopes were passing, so naturally, staff started
to think the testing was overkill," says Mr. Henderson. "That is, until
the first time an endoscope didn't pass."
The techs cleaned that scope again, and even after a second cycle
through the AER, it came back positive for bioburden. "That's when
our staff realized just how valuable the test could be," says Mr.
Henderson. "The repair facility sent back photos of what was wrong
with the scope. If we had used it, a patient could have developed an
infection. Testing was an easy sell after that."
Even with his staff fully embracing use of spot checks, Mr.
Henderson still had to ensure using the test on a regular basis
became a habit. "The best way to do that is to document every-
thing," he says. "If you're going to make something a requirement,
you need to create a record of it. Consistent documentation pre-
vents staff from skipping steps in the process or overlooking an
endoscope that's scheduled to be tested for bioburden after repro-
cessing."
M A Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 5
• SURE THING Verification testing can ensure instruments, such as flexible endo-
scopes with notoriously tough-to-clean channels, are free of bioburden.
