AORN 2026: Experts Address Endoscope Reprocessing Gaps With Borescope Inspections and Frontline Education

At the 2026 Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Global Surgical Conference & Expo (AORN26), Jessica Alicdan, MPH, AL-CIP, CIC, an infection preventionist with UC San Diego Health, spoke with Infection Control Today about one of the most complex and often misunderstood areas of perioperative care: endoscope reprocessing.

The session, Making Heads or Tails of Uncertainties and Inconsistencies in Endoscope Reprocessing, was held on Monday, April 13, 2026, from 8:00 to 9:00 AM CST. The presentation featured primary speaker Jeri L. Culbertson, DNP, RN, NE-BC, AL-CIP, CIC, CRCST, CER, manager of infection prevention at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, alongside co-speakers Tamara Behm, MSN, RN, AL-CIP, CIC, FAPIC, CER, CCSVP, CAIP, and Alicdan.

“We really want to get to the main points of where our nurses have control in ensuring that they’re successful,” Alicdan said, highlighting the importance of ownership at the point of use.

A key takeaway from the presentation was the importance of precleaning and pretreatment. Alicdan stressed that these early steps are foundational to effective reprocessing, yet they are often inconsistently understood or applied. “Your precleaning treatment…really, before an endoscope even touches a patient,” she explained, is where infection prevention efforts must begin.

Through conference engagement tools and audience interaction, Alicdan identified a significant knowledge gap among attendees. “I’ve been able to see a huge knowledge gap…on what is considered important,” she noted, pointing not only to pretreatment but also to visual inspection practices.

To address these gaps, the session used a hands-on, visual approach. Using borescopic assessments, the team demonstrated internal damage within endoscopes that is often invisible during routine external inspection. The live demonstration featured real scopes transported to the conference, allowing attendees to see firsthand the risks hidden within device lumens.

“The photos throughout our presentation show some pretty severe damages of endoscopes that we’ve had to escalate,” Alicdan said, underscoring the importance of identifying and reporting issues that could compromise patient safety.

Alicdan also highlighted the role of infection preventionists in escalation and regulatory reporting, including communication with the Food and Drug Administration when device integrity is compromised. However, she emphasized that prevention remains a shared responsibility. Educating nurses and physicians in the operating room to recognize risks and advocate for safe practices is essential.

Collaboration emerged as another central theme. Alicdan noted that perioperative teams, sterile processing departments, and infection prevention programs often operate in silos, limiting opportunities for improvement. Conferences like AORN provide a critical space to bridge those gaps.

“All of these partners tend to work in silos…and I’m starting to see a stronger integration and collaboration,” she said.

Ultimately, the session reinforced that improving endoscope reprocessing requires both technical knowledge and cultural change. By focusing on early intervention, visual inspection, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, infection preventionists can help reduce risk and strengthen patient safety across the perioperative continuum.