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The Economics of Prefilled Syringes - August 2017 - 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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Ofstead. "And when that happens, we lose sight of what our goals should be: protecting patients by making equipment safe for re-use; and protecting staff from exposure to hazardous chemicals and infectious diseases." Sure, your techs need to clean, high-level disinfect and sterilize those flexible endoscopes so they can get back into the lineup as quickly as possible, but never at the expense of safety and quality. How? Start by making sure you have an ample inventory of scopes, which would resolve the constant "do it yesterday" pressure most sterile processing departments face. Ms. Staubitz admits, however, that budget constraints may make this "easier said than done" for some facilities. Also, make sure sterile techs have the tools they need to do the job right, including a broad selection of brush styles and sizes to accom- modate the different ports and channels for cleaning different lumened instruments. And, of course, never skimp on the proper PPE — namely, hair covers, face shields, surgical masks, extended-cuff gloves, impermeable gowns and shoe covers — because a dedicated, capable sterile tech deserves protection from exposure just as much as every one of your patients. OSM A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 7 issued a report on a similar instrument years before. "The tech was brave in what he did," says Ms. Staubitz. "He was told by the vendor not to open the rongeur, but he felt something wasn't quite right. It was a hard thing to do, but his actions made a difference. That's why your frontline staff are so important. They're another set of eyes. They can help you identify surgical instruments that, because of the nature of their design, may be impossible, or nearly impossible, to clean, disinfect and sterilize." — Bill Donahue

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