5. Point of use
Does your OR team understand the importance of properly preparing
instruments for reprocessing? Cleaning begins at the point of use.
Scrub techs should wipe instrument surfaces with a surgical sponge
dipped in sterile water to remove gross amounts of blood, organic
material and debris that, if allowed to dry, would make decontamina-
tion much more difficult once the instruments reach central sterile.
They should separate sharps from other instruments in OSHA-
approved, puncture-resistant and leak-proof containers marked as
containing "biohazard" material. Emphasize that the work scrub techs
do on the front end in the OR will pay off for them on the back end by
letting SPD techs disinfect and sterilize instruments as quickly as pos-
sible.
OSM
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