Education & Training: Next-Level Visual Aids

From open-source photos to QR codes to AI, paint a perfect picture for SPD staff.

Few people understand the power of visual aids like sterile processing department (SPD) educators. These leaders must train SPD technicians to perform scores of intricate steps on complex medical devices and surgical instruments all day, every day. For SPD professionals, visual aids aren’t just nice-to-have supplemental materials. They are vital tools that ensure critical tasks are performed safely, efficiently and correctly.

Leverage the oceans of no- and low-cost technology

In many cases, visual aids and educational materials for SPD training can stand for some improvement. Thanks to an array of new technological innovations and some old-fashioned creativity, leaders have the power to make improvements without spending a ton of money in the process.

As sterile processing implementation and project supervisor at Surgical Solutions, a national company specializing in sterile processing and procedural services for healthcare organizations, Fred Westermeyer, CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL, LSSYBH, CHEP, knows this firsthand.

Mr. Westermeyer relies on an array of tools — from QR codes and artificial intelligence (AI) to a simple refresh of the binder photos virtually every facility has tucked away somewhere — to create visual aids that ensure his training and education sticks. “Most SPD educators need to know staff will know exactly what to do in the moment,” says Mr. Westermeyer. “Visual aids fill that need, and the tools are out there for leaders to create their own content.”

Dust off that old binder

If you’re looking to improve or add to the visual aids in your SPD’s current rotation, start by looking at what you already have in-house.

“Nearly every hospital I’ve ever worked at had a big, dusty binder somewhere filled with photos of instruments and different things,” says Mr. Westermeyer. “Those photos can be used today. You clean them up, and you can still use them.”

Not only can you use old photos to create effective visual aids, you can also improve them. From cropping to brightening to prominently displaying information exactly where he wants it, Mr. Westermeyer relies on a variety of mostly free programs to edit and enhance the photos in his visual aids and training materials.

“When they are done right, visual aids can be more effective than in-services,” he says, cautioning creators to avoid some of the stumbling blocks that tend to muddy the messages that visual aids are aiming to convey. “One of the most common problems with visual aids is too much info or too much art,” says Mr. Westermeyer. “Less is more. You want these to be as simple and easy as possible. Don’t make any assumptions — design your SPD visual aids as though they are meant for someone who has no clue. Somebody should be able to come in off the street and understand what to do if the visual aid is created the right way.”

“Don’t make any assumptions — design your SPD visual aids as though they are meant for someone who has no clue.”
Fred Westermeyer, CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL, LSSYBH, CHEP

Visual aids also lend themselves to AI assistance and efficiency improvements. “You can take older photos and use AI to make new visual aids using free, web-based tools,” says Mr. Westermeyer. “Once you get good at it, a strong visual aid can take as little as 30 minutes.”

Open-source goldmine

While in-house photos can serve as a great starting point for your visual aids, they probably won’t get you where you need to go long-term.

“SPD has been using the same 50 stock photos forever,” says Mr. Westermeyer. This shortage of quality images for SPD professionals served as the catalyst for a project in which he was involved called SteriSnaps.

Described as “a visual resource hub for sterile processing professionals,” SteriSnaps provides an avenue for SPD pros to “share and discover photos, videos and other aids to enhance your department’s operations and training.” The image and video repository are part of sterileworx.com, a website that Mr. Westermeyer describes as a Facebook- or LinkedIn-type network for sterile processing professionals. SteriSnaps, which is open-source and available to SPD pros and civilians alike, hosts more than 1,000 images and other valuable educational content. “There’s also video up there,” says Mr. Westermeyer. “There are clips from a case study I did on arthroscopic shavers and what’s on the inside of these instruments and more.”

Harness the power of QR codes

When you don’t have the space to convey everything about a task, QR codes present a tremendous opportunity for SPD educators. Mr. Westermeyer notes that many people still don’t know what these powerful codes are, or exactly how to use them.

“I like to use QR codes, sometimes as part of or even in place of a visual aid, because I can link them to quite a few manufacturers that have content on YouTube, and you can generate a QR code straight from Google,” he says. “I can cut and paste that QR code onto a visual aid where my technician can scan it with their phone or with the bar code reader on the computer in front of them, and it will open up the YouTube video right to whatever that QR code links to.”

Of course, the use of QR codes will be a very facility-specific process, and there are a variety of factors that leaders and educators need to keep in mind such as your cell-phone usage policy, security implications and IT involvement. Still, QR codes represent a largely untapped resource for improved SPD education and training.

But the point here is the potential that this technology represents in improving sterile processing departments everywhere. Mr. Westermeyer sees many opportunities for SPD leaders to leverage emerging technology and create more effective visual aids to ultimately improve the efficiency of their organizations, which translates to better patient care. “We need to be ready,” he says. “SPD leaders have a responsibility to learn how to use tools such as AI to stay ahead of the learning curve.” OSM