Late Trays And The Risks Hospitals Face Today

When you work in a hospital or the healthcare industry, hearing that loaner trays were dropped off late likely triggers an immediate concern: delayed or canceled cases due to instruments not being cleaned and sterilized on time.

We recently wrote an article that discussed the ripple effect of what happens when surgical trays are delivered late to hospitals – and focused on just that: surgical cases being delayed and the financial impact it has on hospitals.

What we mentioned above is critically important to the consistent operation of a healthcare facility’s surgical schedule and performance.

Today, however, we want to shift our focus and talk about another, and likely more important, ripple effect of trays being delivered late—beyond cases being delayed or losing money.

And that’s patient safety.

As is often the case, the best stories and market insights come from those who live it every day: hardworking healthcare professionals.

Recently, while speaking with a perioperative services leader, they shared a story that gave us pause but reinforced how important it is to ensure the timely delivery of surgical instruments.

And what might that be?

Over a three-month period, this hospital realized that about 45% of their loaned surgical trays for cases were delivered late for one reason or another. This led to another eye-opening data point: Their SSIs (surgical site infection) rose over that same 3-month period.

Coincidence? Or is there a thread that potentially ties the two together?

Our guess is it’s the latter.

(A report from a few years back mentioned that SSIs are reported to account for around 20% of all healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), with an estimated annual cost of $3.3 billion. So even though this is about patient safety… there’s your financial angle! We can dive into the financial (and reputational) impact of SSIs another day).

Why do we think there’s a thread that could tie late trays and SSIs together? Let us explain.

When surgical trays arrive late, the ripple effect is felt most in the Sterile Processing Department (SPD). So it should come as no surprise that those in the SPD are referenced as the unsung heroes who play a critical role in making the perioperative loop go ‘round.

To put it simply, when trays are delivered late it has the potential to create havoc in the SPD.

How?

Each device that comes into the SPD has its own specific set of instructions (IFUs) that must be followed precisely to ensure proper cleaning, sterilization, and healthy patient outcomes. There is no magic section in the IFU that says: “If you’re in a hurry to reprocess, do this and it should be good enough.” It’s a time-consuming process where corners cannot be cut, which becomes even more challenging when trays arrive late and are expected to be ready later that day. When an influx of trays arrives late, those in the SPD typically have to stop what they’re doing and reprioritize their day’s schedule and workload. If a delayed tray is needed for a scheduled surgery later that same day, it takes precedence in the decontamination and sterilization process.

It doesn’t just affect one person; it affects the SPD as a whole.

So those instruments that were already being cleaned at the sink before the trays were dropped off? Yeah, that’s either put on pause or even rushed through the IFU’s cleaning steps so they can refocus on the trays that were just dropped off. And guess what? The contents inside the freshly delivered (late) trays might (more like probably) get rushed through the cleaning process as well to keep them moving along.

Or how about once they’re ready for inspection and assembly at the prep and pack areas before sterilization? Inspecting and assembling the contents inside the trays is already a time-consuming task, and now the SPD is being asked to rush through that with more complicated sets – typically ortho or neuro – that take even more time than your ‘typical’ surgical trays. Maybe something gets overlooked that typically wouldn’t when it’s not rushed?

 

But, hey get it done and sent up to the OR!

 

It’s important to highlight that these issues are not the fault of the SPD staff whatsoever. They’re following their hospital’s policies and procedures while complying with the device’s IFU – but are being asked to do it in an unrealistic timeframe.

 

They’re skilled professionals doing their best under what some would call challenging circumstances. The real problem lies in a flawed process that puts them in unfavorable positions when trays arrive late. Most of the time (if not all the time), SPD teams manage to work their magic to get what’s needed in the OR cleaned and sterilized on time and according to the IFU despite these pressures, but the risks are always there.

 

So, why jeopardize it?

When it comes to patient safety, no corners should ever need to be cut. The coordination of inventory being delivered to hospitals is just a small part of the perioperative loop when you take a step back and take a macro-level view. But as we just discussed, something going wrong in that process can have a significant impact – operationally, financially, and most importantly, clinically. So, again… why risk it?

 

ReadySet Surgical is committed to partnering with healthcare facilities and device vendors to optimize sterile processing and perioperative operations to achieve healthier patient outcomes. We offer a comprehensive platform for surgical case and vendor coordination, addressing the root causes of late tray deliveries. By optimizing communication and ensuring timely delivery of trays and implants, ReadySet Surgical helps hospitals avoid the consequences of late trays and enables hospitals to maintain high standards of patient care.