in order to remove all of the enzymatic detergent. Ineffective rinsing
can let the very bacteria you are attempting to remove remain on
instruments and continue to multiply.
• Follow the wet-dry rule. Keep instruments wet at the point of use
and spray them down in the instrument pan; then keep instruments
dry after disinfection or sterilization because biofilm forms in wet
conditions. You have to set yourself up for success when battling
biofilm — if the first part isn't right, the last part won't be right.
A background in biofilm
Before I became a perioperative educator, I worked for 8 years as a
clinical education consultant for a company that made a popular high-
level disinfectant solution as well as sterilization and disinfection med-
ical devices. I visited hospitals and surgery centers to train clinicians on
how to use sterilizers, endoscope reprocessors and the high-level disin-
fectant.
I think it's invaluable for the surgical team to become more educat-
ed in sterilization and disinfection techniques so they can appreciate
and understand what happens to their instruments before and after
they use them. Staff trust that sterile processing won't let a load go
out if it's not sterile, but they should still look at the indicator when
they rip open the pack or tray.
OSM
M A y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 9
Ms. Wasserman (margaret.wasserman@advocatehealth.com) is senior ana-
lyst for peer review at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, Ill.
