Outpatient Surgery Magazine

The Power to Prevent SSIs - June 2017 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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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and efficiently. But you can do so only if you step foot in the scope room. Here's what to do once you're there. 1. Watch and learn Shadow a reprocessing tech from start to finish as she performs the 200-plus steps involved in reprocessing a scope — from bedside cleaning to leak testing to manual cleaning to rinsing to visual inspec- tion to high-level disinfection to rinsing (again) to drying to storage. Each of the directors of the 16 endoscopy centers that I oversee per- forms a monthly scope room audit. It's an invaluable exercise that will open your eyes to how mentally challenging and physically grueling the job is. You can learn a lot during a 15-minute visit. You might discover that your techs are skipping steps or cutting corners, or that they each have their own way of reprocessing scopes. "This is the way I do it." But the scope room is not the place for individual expression. One way to get all your techs on the same page: Paper the walls with cheat sheets and manufacturer's posters that illustrate the different steps. 2. What should you be looking for? If a tech doesn't follow or misinterprets manufacturer's reprocessing instructions — or follows them inconsistently — the results can be disastrous. Here are common reprocessing issues you should monitor and correct: • Using products that are not approved to clean scopes: bleach, hydrogen peroxide and surgical instrument detergent, for example. • Reusing disposable cleaning brushes because "the bristles are still good." Spot this by checking your supply ordering history against case volume. Other disposable/single-use items that shouldn't be reused: enzymatic solutions, valve brushes and inflation syringes. J U N E 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 1

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