2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
T
he essential
elements of
proper endo-
scope care begin well
before the notoriously
difficult-to-clean
devices are ready for
high-level disinfection.
The following proto-
cols that we estab-
lished for transporting
scopes from bedside
to the reprocessing
room and back again will lower cross-infection risks and eliminate all
doubts about whether a scope is clean or dirty.
Easy identification
Let's begin with a clean scope leaving the decontamination area.
Have staff lock the transport container with green clips and attach a
green "Clean" sticker on the outside. If you have the capability, tag
each container with a unique ID that can be scanned into an instru-
ment-tracking database. Our scopes are equipped not only with a real-
time location system (RTLS) that lets us track location, but also a
unique radio frequency information device (RFID) that tracks that the
validated cleaning process has occurred.
Note on the outside of the transport container the type of scope
1
Focus On Flexible Endoscope Care
Our standardized process for handling and transporting
scopes maintains high-level disinfection standards.
Infection Prevention
Diane Betti, RN, MSN, CNOR, CSPDT, ST and Michael Gudejko, BS
• LET IT ROLL Baystate Medical Center SPD coordinator Kim Smith pushes a case
cart with transport containers for clean scopes on top.
