figuring, and we ended up with a less preferable flow as a result. Have
everybody look at the design, not just the construction team. The orig-
inal construction didn't fit the way we needed to configure the equip-
ment."
2
Install seamless surfaces
Dr. Memmo and his colleagues wanted the sterile processing
department to have the same level of cleanliness as the ORs.
"So, we installed epoxy floors and Whiterock walls," he explains. "It's
a seamless environment that can be cleaned easily and has very little
chance of bacteria build-up."
3
Consider proximity to ORs
The less travel time between sterile processing and your ORs,
the more efficient you'll be. Seconds add up.
"We wanted to have the central sterile department located conve-
niently, so nobody has to travel too far to get the instruments back
and forth," says Robert Nelson, PA-C, executive director of Island Eye
Surgicenter in Westbury, N.Y. "We have 3 operating rooms at one end
of the hall, 3 at the other end, and central sterile right in the middle."
But there may be other factors to consider, too, such as whether
you want maintenance people traversing through the OR suite on a
regular basis.
At the new Orthopedic Associates center, after you go through a set
of double doors, you turn right to get to the ORs and left for sterile
processing. The location is still convenient, but it was chosen because
the autoclaves require regular maintenance, says Dr. Memmo. "This
way the mechanical room that's specific to the sterilization room is
accessible without having to go through the OR suite," he says.
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