program at the facility level. Because people are not machines, you
must provide as much structure as possible to technicians regarding
how they should clean and conduct cleaning verification testing. Never
let individual preference trump standard facility practice. Regardless of
the type of verification tests you use, you can develop standard clean-
ing and verification procedures in conjunction with manufacturers'
instructions for use, industry recommendations such as AAMI
ST91:2015 (osmag.net/Y9NuQu) and department policies. For any qual-
ity assurance program to work, staff must be both competent and con-
sistent in their application of the verification methods and documenta-
tion protocols.
Scope cleaning verification
Implementing a cleaning verification program for flexible scopes
might seem like a daunting task, but the process is relatively straight-
forward as outlined in AAMI ST91:2015(12.4.2), and should consist of
the following points:
• visual inspection combined with other verification methods that
let you assess both external surfaces and internal housing and chan-
nels;
• testing of the cleaning efficacy of mechanical equipment; and
• monitoring key cleaning parameters, such as temperature.
Today we'll focus on the first bullet: "visual inspection" and "other
verification methods," which include everything from borescopes and
magnifiers, to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and similar residual test-
ing. Your scope cleaning verification program will need reasonable
benchmarks for clean and user-friendly reliable tests to demonstrate
you're meeting that level.
When visually inspecting a scope, the benchmark for clean is
fairly straightforward: no visible bioburden or damage to the
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