different design and
different channels,
and the backup may
not have been trained
on it yet. If the lead
person calls in sick
one day, the backup
suddenly has nothing
to go on other than
trying to read and
understand the IFU,
"which is a pretty scary situation," says Mr. Myers. How can you make
sure your backup maintains an adequate level of competency in a one-
person department? APIC recommends having the understudy do the
job at least biweekly, under the supervision of the primary person.
2. Give sterile processors a hand
No matter how well-trained sterile processing staff are, they still need
help they're not consistently getting. Decontamination should start in
the OR. "But the problem is everyone's in a hurry," says Mr. Duro. "It's,
'Let's get this stuff out of here and get ready for the next case.'"
Too often, he says, instruments aren't pre-cleaned and thereby
become much harder to clean, because blood, bioburden and bone
dry and harden. "It's like trying to clean a lasagna pan that sat out
overnight," says Mr. Duro.
Instruments might need just a quick wipe down. They might need to
be hit with a cloth and some sterile water. Or they may require some
enzyme spray or foam. "OR staff know which instruments have been
used and what needs to be done," says Mr. Duro. "It takes a little time,
but it shouldn't be a deal-breaker."
1 2 4
O U T P A T 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 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5
z DRIED ON
Instruments that
aren't pre-cleaned
in the OR become
much harder to
sterilize.
