type of comprehensive training tool. Wearing a VR headset, staff can
learn about the different instrument care techniques they'll need to
employ in reprocessing. It's much better for them to learn from their
mistakes in the virtual world than suffer the consequences of return-
ing a contaminated endoscope to a procedure room.
Think of this training as an investment in your staff and your facility.
VR could be utilized as a part of the overall orientation process and con-
tinuing education program for sterile processing personnel, taking staff
members on a virtual educational tour of the department — without
even having to set foot in an actual department, or potentially even leav-
ing their own homes. The possibilities are endless. You can use the tech-
nology to explain decontamination and sterilization processes. You can
go a step further and show your technicians what the insides of cannu-
lated instruments look like and why they're so susceptible to biofilms
and bacteria. This hands-on VR training can help set the tone for your
staff, and they'll definitely come away with a better understanding of
why they need to clean so thoroughly.
• Augmented reality. Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality (AR)
adds virtual elements to the real world. Think about the view from
your work desk. With AR, we can add a virtual mug or lunchbox that
isn't there. You just put on an AR headset and the world in front of
you changes. In this sense, AR can be understood as enhanced vision
by adding more information to our observable universe.
So how does this apply to sterile processing? AR can tell you why
the scope in front of your technician is so susceptible to bacteria.
Because this type of technology can recognize specific instrumenta-
tion, the AR headset can display instructions for reprocessing at the
point of need, highlight any instruments that may have parts that need
to be dismantled before reprocessing can occur and ensure you fol-
low manual cleaning instructions with each step. This gives your staff
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