How to achieve sterilization success in your healthcare facility
Meta Description: If you want your facility to be sterilized successfully, it takes careful planning and organizational changes.
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Sterilizing medical devices is essential for protecting patients and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, medical facilities are struggling to do it properly. Figures collected by The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety found that 74 percent of immediate threats to life in hospital settings had to do with poor sterilization practices.
Sterilizing medical devices is critical for protecting patients and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, medical facilities are struggling to sterilize their medical devices properly. Figures collected by the Joint Commission’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety show that 74 percent of threats to life in hospital settings were caused by poor sterilization practices.
The rates of non-compliance with the infection control standard were much higher than you might think. 51 percent of hospitals, 58 percent of critical access hospitals, and 53 percent of office-based surgeries regularly failed to perform the tasks required by the Infection Prevention and Control Standard IC 02.02.01.
Fortunately, the report explains why compliance rates are so low and, therefore, what medical professionals can do to improve the situation. Here are some things you can do to help your staff properly sterilize your facility.
Adopt A Culture Of Safety That Supports The Reporting Of Safety Risks
Doctors won’t report risks to patients if they feel under pressure to stay quiet. Managers and leaders must create a culture that encourages people to talk openly about safety issues.
Put discussion about sterilization at the top of your planning meetings. Point out that unsafe practices in this area are leading causes of death. Talk about how failing to act properly can cause trouble, such as negative publicity, ruined reputations, lawsuits, or even cause a change in the governing body’s status.
Use The Correct Procedures
Sterilization techniques for various medical equipment can vary greatly from one place to another. Cleaning sterilizer chambers is very different from cleaning surgical instruments.
There are many different kinds of cleaning solutions that medical professionals can use. Hot steam, dry heat, ethylene oxide gas, chlorine dioxide gas, radiation, and vaporized peracetic acid are all possible options for sterilizing equipment. But different cleaning methods work depending on the environment, the equipment being cleaned, and the materials being cleaned. But none of these methods work consistently, especially when you consider the toxicological effects of some of them.
Unfortunately, many medical professionals do not have adequate knowledge or training in how to clean the right items. They may use the wrong cleaning method or do not disinfect the equipment properly. They may use the wrong cleaning method or fail to disinfect items properly, putting patients in danger.
It is important for staff to receive proper training before they start cleaning items. Label each item with the cleaning method you prefer and tell staff to follow the instructions as they appear.
Prioritize Disinfection
Hospitals should prioritize disinfection as a high-priority task that they do both operationally and strategically. Staff should understand that disinfection is very important, more important than, say, putting away the equipment or taking care of the next patient.
It’s important to get leadership on board with this. Leaders should set the example that everyone should follow.
Brief Teams On The Latest Sterilization Guidelines
Check that staff members are able to understand sterilization guidelines before they start work. If there are many staff members in your organization, give them clear instructions on how to properly care for their items. This will help them to keep themselves safe and will also help you avoid costly repairs in the long term.
Leave instructions from the manufacturers close by, in case any staff members need to know something about this. Always make sure that staff members have access to the medical equipment you need, particularly if you have many staff members who move between facilities.
When you hire a company like us at Preventative Medical Maintenance, we will provide you with the equipment and services you need to successfully sterilize your patient. Visit our website link above for more information!