down to the sterile processing department (SPD) and reprocessing
techs have never stepped foot in an OR.
It's time to bring the two sides together, both literally and figurative-
ly.
That's what leadership at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit
decided when they set out to include a culture change in the SPD
that's under construction in the hospital's new $155 million clinical
care tower that will have 4 ORs on the 2
nd
floor.
"We talked about how we could be more efficient in our instrument
reprocessing unit," says Luanne Ewald, the hospital's CEO.
The hospital put the groundwork in place to match the flow of the
ORs to the flow of instruments by designing the new SPD right next
to the new ORs. This month, they plan to begin framing out a SPD
that will cover 3,770 square feet and house a 2,281-square-foot instru-
ment storage area. The proximity of the SPD to the ORs will allow for
a more efficient system of moving instruments and will help to estab-
lish constant communication among staff members in both areas.
Here are some other ways to ensure reprocessing techs get properly
sterilized instruments back to the surgical team as quickly and as safe-
ly as possible. That alone will go a long way toward creating a posi-
tive culture.
1. Build based on volume
Reprocessing efficiency doesn't rely solely on relocating the SPD; you
must also take into account how many instruments pass through the
area on a daily basis. Children's Hospital estimates that it sterilizes
around 50,000 sets of instruments a year.
But you can't tell how many instruments you'll be sterilizing on a
daily basis simply by dividing 50,000 by the number of surgery days.
Each day's surgical schedule might require a different number of
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