OSE_1210_part2_Layout 1 10/5/12 3:47 PM Page 101
and competency. We also keep records regarding annual steam container maintenance (see "A Yearly Test for Your Rigid Containers" for
more).
The outlined policies and procedures and daily documentation
may sound onerous at first, but along with in-service training and
ongoing competencies, staff are able to excel in performing their
tasks.
Full steam ahead
We rewrote policy, re-educated our staff and, as a result, transformed
our center's instrument sterilization. Yes, we had to purchase additional instrumentation — ophthalmology instruments and handpieces —
to accommodate longer reprocessing times necessitated by a full
cycle of steam sterilization plus drying time. But we looked at that
expense (and that of the purchase of the closed steam sterilization
trays) as an investment into continuing to turn our facility into a
leader.
No one opposed the changeover — in fact, it's been a selling point to
the surgeons, who appreciate such high equipment-processing standards. We're all pleased to say that flashing for immediate use is history in our center. OSM
Ms. Lord (nlord@riverdrivesurg ery.com) is the administrator at River
Drive Surgery Center in Elmwood Park, N.J., which last year hosted more
than 10,000 cataract surgeries.
O C T O B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
1 0 1
