His reprocessing team now
records which scopes are test-
ed, when they are tested,
whether they pass or fail and
— in the event of bioburden
detection — when they're sent
back for another spin through
the AER. The detailed docu-
mentation provides Mr.
Henderson with an accurate
record of how each scope has
been handled and how often
its cleanliness has been tested and verified.
Since Mr. Henderson's reprocessing techs began testing for biobur-
den, his GI manager has made it a point to perform spot checks of
both scopes and techs' abilities to perform the test.
"The manager will randomly pull an endoscope after reprocess-
ing and test it herself," says Mr. Henderson. "Other times, she
might ask a tech to perform the test and observe. These spot
checks have helped emphasize the importance of the tests. They
also serve as an important recheck of our reprocessing proce-
dures and verification testing practices."
Through this new protocol, Mr. Henderson is better able to ensure
bioburden is completely removed from scopes. "Our number one
priority is always making sure patients get the best possible care,"
says Mr. Henderson. "So even though our verification testing isn't
something we have to do, it helps us achieve our goal by going the
extra mile for patients to ensure we continue to have no infections."
OSM
2 6 • 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 2 0
• SIGN OF TROUBLE Instrument staining is a problem that can
lead to major issues such as rust, pitting, instrument breakage
and difficult-to-clean bioburden.
William
DeLuca,
CRCST,
CIS,
CHL
