Combine the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently lowering the recommended initial colorectal screening age from 50 to 45 with the influx of newly scheduled screenings from patients who postponed their colonoscopies during the height...

There’s plenty of compelling big-picture data out there to support the need for meticulous and consistent point-of-use instrument care. A 2020 study in BMJ Quality & Safety is a great example....

Major change doesn’t happen overnight — especially in the world of surgery. Little by little the trends of today mold and shape the industry of tomorrow. For facility leaders, keeping up with these changes is an absolute imperative....

LAST CALL An airport-style security scanner at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is saving tens of thousands of dollars' worth of valuable instruments from accidentally entering the waste stream.

Test your staff’s knowledge on instrument cleaning, sharps safety, wound care and other ways to keep patients and staff safe.

The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) says original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) meet the highest standards for servicing medical devices,...

Teams in sterile processing departments are often tasked to do more with less, especially when surgeons push to perform more cases than the instrument inventory can handle and reprocessing techs are pressured...

There are many steps to manage in the endoscope reprocessing process and missing or rushing through just one can lead to improper high-level disinfection and patient harm. “Endoscopes are very complex and intricate medical devices...

Surgical teams expect to work with instruments that are sterilized correctly, in pristine condition and arrive in the OR in time for cases to begin as scheduled. Making sure...

Surgical instruments that are of poor quality or improperly maintained can fail during procedures, an alarming occurrence that jeopardizes outcomes...

The Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) recently hosted a webinar during which three guest speakers discussed strategies to maintain individual positivity and enhance the culture of the workgroup. One of...

In the main OR at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City, surgical instruments were consistently going missing, so a multidisciplinary team sought to pinpoint the source of the issue and correct it. The result...

Ensuring that reprocessed endoscopes are completely dry during storage remains an important patient safety topic in the world of endoscopy. Residual moisture in and around endoscopes promotes the growth...

Any patient arriving on the day of their surgery is going to be anxious. That anxiety will only grow, and their satisfaction will decline, if their surgery is delayed because of inefficient room turnover times. Getting ORs ready for the next case...

In March, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) updated ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021, its standard for the cleaning and storing of flexible endoscopes. The new guidance document — which addresses...

When grateful patients in Central Maine return home from St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston with a successful surgical outcome, the thank you cards they pen aren’t to the finance department. But maybe they should be....

Coastal Orthopedics in West Bradenton, Fla., recently opened an 88,000-square-foot headquarters that houses a 25,000-square-foot, six-OR ASC on the second floor with 25 pre- and post-op bays and six extended stay rooms....

The surgical services team at Ascension St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood, Ind., is well into year three without a single surgical site infection (SSI). That impressive run has earned its staff the 2022 OR Excellence Award for Infection Prevention....

Surgical instruments that are of poor quality or improperly maintained can fail during procedures, an alarming occurrence that jeopardizes outcomes...

Wrapping instruments in blue wrap might not be the best choice when your sterile processing department is responsible for turning around a high-volume of tools...