Don't Define Your Reprocessors by Their Failures
Let your sterile processing department prove itself to you.
T
acked to
my
office
bulletin board is
a printout of a
frustrated sur-
geon's email,
his scathing
words highlight-
ed in neon
green. "I don't
say anything
because it is
expected slop-
piness from
sterile processing."
Expected sloppiness. Words I never want to forget.
That was the perspective of this surgeon concerning the team of
technicians laboring to decontaminate, clean, inspect, test, package,
sterilize and transport his surgical instruments.
This was a customer who had lost faith in the product, who'd been
failed one too many times and who'd written off any hope of improve-
ment. Kind of like that one fast food restaurant that you swear you'll
never go back to because they don't understand the definition of "fast,"
they constantly get your order wrong and they always forget to give you
napkins. And who could blame you? Poor quality and service should
never become the norm. You should never expect sloppiness — let
alone stand for it.
3 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 7
Infection Prevention
Weston "Hank" Balch, CRCST, CIS, CHL
• TURNAROUND Frustrated OR customers are a sign that all is not well with your sterile repro-
cessing department.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
