Sterile processing (SP) and operating room (OR) staff once “lived” in separate worlds, rarely working or communicating. They were on two different islands. However, there is a tidal wave of issues causing “the perfect storm” that is requiring these two departments to work closer together than ever before.
The national emphasis on reducing healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), in particularly surgical site infections (SSIs); the authoritarian muscle flexing on sterilization guideline updates from regulatory agencies, such as the Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); sterilization equipment warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the technology explosion; and the fact that most healthcare facilities are operating on a razor thin margin, are some of the issues creating this perfect storm. Now more than ever, OR and SP must work together to combat the tidal waves of change.
Partners in Patient Safety
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)’s mission is “To promote safety and optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures by providing practice support and professional development opportunities to perioperative nurses. AORN will collaborate with professional and regulatory organizations, industry leaders, and other healthcare partners who support their mission.”1
SP professionals are healthcare partners who support the AORN mission. As with the perioperative professional association, the OR and SP personnel within each facility should collaborate for safe patient care. SP is considered part of the surgical team. Even though SP staff are not physically present at the OR table, the products that they manufacture certainly are and that can make a big difference in the patient’s outcome.
Standards and Recommended Practices
It is imperative that SP and OR professionals follow the most current published standards and recommended practices relating to reprocessing of surgical instruments and other devices. The three primary sources for recommendations are AORN’s Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices, AAMI’s ST79 Comprehensive Guide to Steam Sterilization and Sterility Assurance in Healthcare Facilities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008.1-3
Astute SP professionals consider AAMI’s ST79 their bible. This is a true comprehensive user’s guide. Included in these standards are:2
• Functional and physical design criteria
• Staff qualifications
• Processing procedures
• Installation, care and maintenance of steam sterilizers
• Quality control
• Quality process improvement
The OR usually carries more clout and can add support to the SP efforts to follow standards and recommended practices.
