The technicians who service and repair autoclaves perform many essential tasks that keep our autoclaves functioning and are vital resources for sterile processing technicians. Not only do they repair the autoclaves when they are broken, but they also help prevent downtime by performing preventative maintenance inspections on the thousands of components that make up autoclaves…
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Although instrument cleaning brushes, and other cleaning tools may not “spark joy” in the minds of all sterile processing professionals, organization guru Marie Kondo would probably agree that access and organization can have a significant impact on productivity and efficiency in the sterile processing department. Technicians in decontamination should not be limited by inaccessible cleaning…
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How do you verify that you have the correct chemical in your soak sink, sonic or cart washer? This simple question creates challenges for many SPD departments. Many technicians rely on color of the solution to verify that the correct chemical is in use in sinks and sonic instrument cleaners. They may even rely on…
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When contaminated instruments arrive in Sterile Processing, our primary goal is starting soil removal with various types of detergents. The timing and correct selection of chemicals in the “dirty” decontamination side becomes more confusing if killing germs is a consideration when items cannot go through washer thermal disinfection. Device instructions must be followed but often…
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A recently published investigation titled: “Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Healthcare Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Units”, with affiliation through the Biology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (and others) has emerged which demonstrates the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at multiple locations within mechanical AHUs, and more specifically, AHUs serving multiple…
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When was the last time you saw someone using a toothbrush to comb their hair? If you answered the question with a guffaw and a response of “never, why would anyone do that?” you are correct. Having a variety of brush styles in decontamination is vital for a successful manual cleaning policy. A one-style-fits-all attitude…
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