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.
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