3. Automated help
I'm surprised that some facilities
with decent production volumes
still reprocess scopes in trays
instead of investing in AERs.
Tray reprocessing interrogates a
scope's channels, but it can't
match the precise repetition of
AERs. The automated devices
run preset cycles until they're
completed. There's no fudging
the times, even if impatient
physicians are calling for scopes
from the procedure rooms. The
same can't be said for manual
cycles overseen by techs, who
might succumb to volume-driven
pressures and remove scopes
before required reprocessing
times are met.
4. Disinfectant testing
It's important to test high-level
disinfectants — most facilities
are opting for the overall effec-
tiveness and relative short expo-
sure time of ortho-phthalalde-
hyde (OPA) — at least daily to
ensure they meet the Minimum
Effective Concentration (MEC).
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