Central sterile techs are told
upon hire that they must become
certified instrument specialists. "I
look for people who want to
make a career out of working in
sterile processing," says Ms.
Sebastian. "I let them know
they're some of the most impor-
tant members of our team,
because we can't provide safe
care if they don't properly steril-
ize instruments."
2 4 • O U T P A T I
E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0
9 Orchard, Suite 111
Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.optisurgical.com
info@optisurgical.com
Call AOI for Information
800.576.1266 or
949.580.1266
Instrument Rinse System
®
• For rinsing lumened instruments
and tubing
• Eliminates hand fatigue caused
by repetitive syringe use
• Fully autoclavable accessories
• Frees up your hands to perform
other tasks, greatly improving
the speed and efficiency of
your reprocessing department
Still rinsing
with a syringe?
Use the
HONORABLE MENTION
Keeping the Safe Patient Care Promise
Every member of the surgical
care team at Cone Health
MedCenter Mebane (N.C.)
Surgery Center embraces the
ICARE (Communication,
Accountability, Respect and
Empowerment) standard:
• Communication. The surgical
team reviews the surgical safety
checklist before every procedure
to ensure site markings are cor-
rect, paperwork is completed and
on hand, fire safety has been
addressed and members have
had a chance to voice patient
safety concerns.
• Accountability. Members of
the surgical team don't hesitate to
give constructive feedback to their
colleagues to make sure they honor
their commitment to safe patient
care. "We're all empowered to have
crucial conversations with surgeons
and all team members, which truly
builds a culture of accountability,"
says Center Director Dana Hatchett,
RN, BSN, MBA, RNFA, CNOR. "We
feel comfortable having those con-
versations because we know it's
what best for patients."
• Respect. The center's staff
and physicians are committed to
respecting patients' decisions and
rights. They also speak to col-
leagues in positive ways to support
and build each other up.
• Empowerment. Surgical team
members are taught to own their
actions. They work together to
solve issues and focus on ways to
ensure safe patient care is always
prioritized. They're also encour-
aged to take the lead on process
improvement initiatives.
"Most of our nurses have com-
pleted a project that has bettered
our facility in some way," says
Tabitha Turner, RN, MSN, CNOR,
CGRN, the surgery center's assis-
tant director.
One project helped to stream-
line the care of patients who
answer "yes" to a self-harm ques-
tion during pre-op assessments. A
nurse created an easy-to-use
PATIENT SAFETY
