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…
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…
MAKING YOUR DEPARTMENT SURVEY READY by Rose Seavey MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO Seavey Healthcare Consulting, LLC Healthcare accreditations surveys, such as those preformed by The Joint Commission (TJC) or The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, focus on safety and quality of patient care. In the last few years, accreditation surveyors have increasingly…