1 0 6
O U T P AT 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 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 4
Medicare and accreditation
surveyors focus on the transi-
tion between dirty and clean
areas and note if techs wear
dirty PPE or bring contami-
nated scopes into clean
spaces.
The last step of reprocessing
is to wipe the scope and flush
its channels with alcohol to
facilitate drying. At this point,
no further danger of contamina-
tion should exist in the room. If
you reprocess and store scopes
in a single space, be sure that
cleaned scopes are protected
from splashed contaminants.
That means never working on
dirty scopes while clean scopes
are being placed in or removed
from storage. I've talked to
techs who've claimed splashes
can't reach across a room, but
from a strict infection control
standpoint, that argument does-
n't cut it.
7. Accredit techs?
There's currently no nationally
accredited training program to
E N D O S C O P E R E P R O C E S S I N G
S
cope reprocessing techs are
under a lot of pressure to keep
up in busy GI centers. From
their perspective, reprocessing
scopes quickly is paramount. But
they must have the tools and support
to do it properly each time. We
worked with our supply vendors to
develop custom procedure packs
that contain disposable cleaning
supplies — the proper brushes and
port caps, for example — needed to
clean the scope used during the
case. You need to purchase the sup-
plies anyway. Opting for customized
disposables is a cost-effective solu-
tion if you have the purchase power
to demand competitive pricing.
— Frank Chapman, MBA
SMART SHOPPING
Customize Your
Endo Cleaning Supplies
Frank
Chapman,
MBA
PACK MENTALITY
Ensure techs have
needed brushes and
caps for each endo-
scope they reprocess.
