AAMI Sterilization Standards Updates With Amanda Benedict and Damien Berg

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) is responsible for setting standards in the form of performance-based documents that seek to improve the safety, efficacy, safe use, and management of medical devices and health technologies.

In the sterile processing industry, AAMI standards are key to optimizing operations. At the 2022 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference & Expo, held in San Antonio, Texas, April 23-27, 2022, Amanda Benedict, MA, ASTD, vice president of standards at AAMI, and Damien Berg, BA, BS, CRCST, AAMIF, vice president of strategic initiatives at HSPA, jointly presented on new and future updates to existing sterilization standards, along with HSPA clinical educator Susan Klacik, BS, CRCST, CIS, ACE, CHL, FCS.

Here are some of the highlights:

• ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021, Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities
• AAMI PB70, Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended for use in health care facilities
• AAMI ST58, Chemical sterilization & high-level disinfection in health care facilities
• AAMI ST108, Water for the processing of medical devices

Benedict and Berg also touched on ongoing challenges in the sterile processing industry as a whole.

“I think that’s the biggest challenge, is really to elevate our profession, to tell people that it is a profession that's worth doing. I've been doing it for 29 years, I absolutely love it,” Berg said. “I want other people to have that same passion…so they put the education in it, they invest in it, they invest in themselves, they elevate themselves, so that they can do the best work they can. That's our challenge is to elevate ourselves and elevate the profession.”

Reference:

Benedict A, Klacik S, Berg D. Heads up! New and coming soon: sterilization standards and standards development. Presented at: Healthcare Sterile Processing Association Annual Conference & Expo; San Antonio, Texas; April 23-27, 2022.