Many minds
make safe scopes
A cleaning verification program leaves a documented trail of quality
and compliance. Industry recommendations and manufacturers'
instructions for use serve as the foundation of your program, but suc-
cessful implementation depends on the collaborative efforts of infec-
tion control practitioners, risk/quality professionals, physicians, nurses
and scope technicians. They must team up to create the best process
possible — and transparently verify that process, every scope, every
time — in the name of patient safety.
OSM
A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 9
Damage or discoloration on a
scope's distal tip, often
invisible to the naked eye,
can harbor microbes.
Mr. Balch (hank@beyondclean.net) is the founder and co-host of the "Beyond
Clean" industry podcast (beyondclean.net). Follow him on Twitter at
@BeyondCleanInfo.
