John Rowe, CIS, CHL, CRCST. Manager, Sterile Processing University Health System, San Antonio, TX It is the responsibility of the Central Service/Sterile Processing Department to provide cleaned, tested and sterilized instrumentation to the OR on a daily basis. Tray volumes can fluctuate widely depending on the number of add-on procedures, turnovers, traumas and of course,…
Susan Klacik BS, CRCST, CHL, CIS, FCS Having central sterilization certification results in a win-win-win situation for the CS Tech, healthcare facility, and the patient. First, for the CSS Tech, CSS certification demonstrates that the tech has the commitment to this profession and the skill and knowledge required to process medical devices. Having this educational…
The 2017 IAHCSMM Annual Conference and Expo held in Nashville, Tennessee wrapped up last week. By all accounts, the event was a success—attendance was up to over 1,300 people, the exhibit hall was buzzing with energy and the venue was beautiful and convenient. As usual, the event proved to be a great place to gain…
HEAR FROM YOUR CANDIDATES FOR IAHCSMM PRESIDENT-ELECT ReadySet reached out to the candidates to get their comments on the importance of voting, as well as share their visions for the organization. Their responses are below. The three candidates running for IAHCSMM President-Elect are (in alphabetical order-Click on any candidate’s name to access the voting ballot):…
CHANGES DEPEND ON COLLABORATION by Rose Seavey MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO Seavey Healthcare Consulting, LLC Sterile processing continues to gain momentum within the healthcare environment as media coverage of its importance increases. As Sterile Processing Department (SPD) professionals, it is your responsibility to ensure your patients receive the safest possible care. Working toward…
SOLVING COLLABORATION CHALLENGES WITH A LOANER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Central Sterile (CS) professionals often cite lack of effective collaboration with other departments as a major opportunity area in their hospitals. This makes sense because CS departments are so integrated into a hospital’s work flow, they necessarily interact with and support a wide number of other departments…
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE by Susan Klacik BS, CRCST, ACE, CHL, CIS, FCS Every medical device has its own instructions for use (IFU). In fact, before a medical device can be sold, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires validation testing to demonstrate that the device can be effectively cleaned and disinfected…
MANAGING CONSIGNMENTS: 3 BEST PRACTICES There is an unwritten pecking order in most CS departments when it comes to surgical trays. Facility owned trays and instruments are usually tracked and cared for as if they were made of gold (and at some of their replacement prices, it would seem that many of them are!). Loaner…
CS MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS: SYSTEMIC EXCELLENCE The previous article in this CS Manager series focused on creating a set of measurements and data points to track your department’s performance. This article builds on that concept by discussing what to do when your department’s performance is not meeting expectations. So you’ve got a problem and you know…
CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR PROCESSING FLEXIBLE ENDOSCOPES by Rose Seavey MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO Seavey Healthcare Consulting, LLC Contaminated endoscopes have been a huge topic with the media and the public due to the reports of infection transmission as a result of inadequately processed scopes. Flexible endoscope are arguably the most difficult pieces…