they'll get on board.
Think about it. With batching,
SPD must scramble when the
packed carts arrive and priori-
tize what sets are needed first.
This is made worse if some
instruments are complex and
hard to clean. It also results in
workers picking and choosing
which instruments they'll
clean. Some will only remove what they're comfortable cleaning from
the carts. This can't happen when you institute one-piece flow process-
ing. A tech must process an entire cart at the appropriate station before
working on the next one in line. As part of the change from batching to
one-piece flow, the hospital put colored tape on the floor that let staff
know with a glance how many carts they had waiting, which cart was
next and when additional staff was needed to assist when volume
increased (see "Keep Your Case Carts in Line" on page 10).
4. Declutter your SPD.
A messy environment makes people
tense — the last thing already harried SPD employees need.
Remember, an SPD is a working laboratory, not a storage area. If there
are items there that don't need to be there, get rid of them. This hospi-
tal had unused instruments, pediatric oxygen masks and wire baskets
in SPD that did not belong there. There were policies and papers
stored in closets that were outdated at best and obsolete at worst.
A well-maintained physical plant in SPD is also critical. Lighting in the
ORs was excellent, but in SPD, not so much. We improved lighting for
thorough instrument inspection. We also recommended that the facility
ensure that its water and steam were in compliance with purity and chem-
1 0 0 • 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
• SEE THE LIGHT A well-lit SPD is crucial for techs to perform qual-
ity work.
