Process This! Episode 135: Lean SPD
The concept of Lean has been around for many years. What started as a manufacturing concept has been embraced by healthcare as an effective system to increase efficiency while maintaining …
Process This! Episode 134: Clarifying Water Treatment Methods
The quality of our water varies dramatically—by location, season and source—and the presence of impurities can have a significant impact on all aspects of instrument processing. For the safety of …
Process This! Episode 133: Cybersecurity Concerns in Healthcare
Like every business, healthcare systems are vulnerable to cyberattack in all of its many forms. For those in healthcare, however, the security of the information we access has special significance. …
Process This! Episode 132: The WHY of Perioperative Compliance
What we do as a perioperative team matters. Day and night, 365 days a year, we save, heal and improve the wellbeing of our patients. In the Sterile Processing department …
Process This! Episode 131: Consequences of Difficult-to-Clean Instruments
All surgical instruments take effort to render clean and sterile, but some instruments by their design are more difficult to clean than others. Narrow channels, long lumens and tight tolerances …
Process This! Episode 130: Tips for Loaned Tray Management
Managing loaned instrument sets presents difficulties for even the most organized Sterile Processing departments (SPDs). Hospitals and surgery centers with high procedural volume as well as those performing cutting-edge surgeries …
Process This! Episode 129: Discussing POU Treatment with Procedural Partners
Surgical instruments require consistent care from use, through processing and storage, and back to the procedural area. This care saves healthcare systems money and, more importantly, assures that practitioners have …
Process This! Episode 128: Demystifying IFU
Following manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFU) is among the most important responsibilities of the Sterile Processing (SP) team, and every item in our departments has an IFU—surgical instruments, processing equipment, …
Process This! Episode 127: Skincare Strategies for Healthcare Workers
Our skin is not just a thing of beauty. It is our largest organ. It prevents water loss and protects us from infection, allergens and ultraviolet light. Although proper hand …
Process This! Episode 126: Quality Management Systems in the Sterile Processing Workflow
Data drives improvement in business, and healthcare is no exception. With the effective use of a quality management system (QMS), Sterile Processing (SP) professionals can use data they already collect, …
Process This! Episode 125: Chemical Safety in the SPD
The chemicals used in Sterile Processing departments (SPDs) pose serious risks, and Alex Hilliker of ChemDAQ, Inc. believes that chemical safety is not discussed enough. In episode 125, host Jon …
Process This! Episode 124: AORN Guidelines Update
In episode 124, host Jon Wood speaks with AORN Senior Perioperative Practice Specialist Amber Wood about how AORN Guidelines address numerous pertinent topics related to Sterile Processing, including challenges associated …