9 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
A
large hospital had
so many case carts
full of trays backed
up during the day
they struggled to
turn around instrument sets in less
than 24 hours. Within 6 months,
they cut their sterile processing
turnaround time by 40%, reduced
errors in half, dramatically
increased nurse and surgeon satis-
faction with the sterile processing
department (SPD), and saved the
hospital nearly $600,000. These 5
small and modest changes made
big impacts.
1. Get to the root of the problem.
When a respected sur-
geon complained about SPD delays, the staff kept the surgeon's instru-
ment sets in a special location and paid special attention to them. Problem
solved, right? Wrong. These kinds of workarounds didn't address the core
problem. Perform a root cause analysis. Only a smooth and efficient ster-
ile processing workflow will ensure that every surgeon in every OR has
instrument sets delivered on time and in pristine condition.
2. Match schedules to work crunches.
This hospital had more
techs than they needed at 7:30 a.m. They were mostly idle until about
5 Tips for More Efficient Sterile Processing
How one hospital turned its SPD into a shining example of excellence.
Rachel Mandel, MD, MHA | Frederick, Md.
• ONE-PIECE FLOW Getting unsterile instruments to your
SPD as soon as possible is more efficient than waiting until
the OR has a cart full of trays that need processing.
