Sterile Processing

Kimberly-Clark Health Care recently crowned the champion of the inaugural Smart-Fold Wrap Races at the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) Annual Conference and Expo held in Columbus, Ohio. Naomi Campbell from Brandywine Hospital was declared the fastest sterilization wrapper, beating out central services (CS) professionals from across the United States and Canada. The timed, head-to-head wrapping competition spotlighted how Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap enhances the skills of CS professionals by enabling them to wrap quickly and efficiently.

It’s 10 o’clock. The patient is prepped; the doctor is ready for surgery. Do you know where your containers are? Given the increasing complexity of surgical devices, increasing workloads and reduced staffing, there is no wonder that there has been a rise in equipment related issues leading to potential patient safety issues as well as a rise in surgical site and hospital acquired infections.

Every central service (CS) department should have a designated educator. In fact, I believe that the need for a well-trained educator in this department is as great – if not greater -- than for any other department in the hospital. 

Their locations in the hospital may be disparate, but the infection prevention and sterile processing departments share a common goal -- pro-tecting the welfare and safety of patients. To achieve the level of communication and collaboration necessary to uphold this objective, both departments must understand the role they play, says Sharon Greene-Golden, CRCST, FCS, sterile processing manager for DePaul Medical Cen-ter, a part of Bon Secours Health System in Virginia.

A gift from the Dr. G. Clifford & Florence B. Decker Foundation will enable Binghamton University biologists and their colleagues to conduct tests and research that will improve health outcomes for patients in Southern Tier hospitals with conditions ranging from ear infections to cancer.

A ground-breaking meeting of the minds in October 2011 has led to a new draft standard from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) that will provide sterile processing professionals with the means to address quality management systems.