Growing up, I became quite the horror movie buff. I recall Lon Chaney as the Wolfman, roaming the moors in search of his next victim, and Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula who would strike fear in the hearts of Transylvanians – and moviegoers alike. And who can forget Boris Karloff and his menacing character Frankenstein who, with bolts in his head and his rigid arms outstretched, would lumber through the countryside like some sort of maniacal monster?
While each of these movies and the characters portrayed in them were unique, they all had one thing in common: the shrill, piercing scream from a beautiful actress, followed by a fight scene with her love interest, the leading man. Typically, the man would be knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, as his love was whisked away by the monster. In the end, though, the “bad guys” lost the fight – thanks to garlic necklaces, wooden stakes, fire and a silver bullet. If only it were that simple.
As I’ve grown into adulthood, I’ve discovered another “monster” of sorts that evokes fear, madness and, in some cases, shrieks and hand-wringing from central sterile supply department (CSSD) professionals across the United States. This monster’s name? Loaner Instrumentation.
Having traveled across the country consulting and speaking, I am truly amazed at the visceral reactions I get from the mere mention of loaner instrumentation. The CSSD professionals with whom I’ve spoken have raised a number of questions and concerns about managing the loaner process – from receipt and decontamination to preparation, sterilization, storage and, ultimately, the loaner tray’s return to the vendor.
At my previous facility, St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, our department processed nearly 22,000 loaner trays in 2009 alone. As one might imagine, this had a significant impact on our day-to-day operations. As challenging as our own situation was, we certainly weren’t alone. CSSD professionals are routinely challenged with backlogs of instrumentation due to equipment capacity and productivity constraints. These individuals often find that their washers and sterilizers are inadequate in their ability to handle the additional instrumentation, and, beyond that, existing staff cannot keep up with the burgeoning workload caused by loaner trays.
Although loaner instrumentation is, indeed, a significant challenge, the good news is – if managed effectively through policies and procedures, planning, collaboration and hard work – the daunting function can transition from horror story to action adventure.
