Emergency Preparedness in Sterile Processing: Building Continuity When Systems Go Down
Sterile processing departments must be ready to maintain continuity and patient safety—even when technology fails. A downtime playbook can make all the difference.
At the 2025 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference held from April 25 through 29, 2025, in Louisville, Kentucky, Chase Elms, BS, CRCST, manager of central sterile processing at St. Luke’s Health System in Twin Falls, Idaho, presented on a critical but often underexplored topic: emergency preparedness in sterile processing during network downtime. His session focuses on how to maintain sterilization continuity when systems like tracking software and internet connectivity are unavailable—especially in high-stakes environments like trauma centers.
Elms emphasizes the importance of defining downtime scenarios and equipping sterile processing leaders with decision-making frameworks to ensure patient care remains uninterrupted. A key solution? A detailed downtime playbook. Modeled after a football strategy guide, this resource outlines actionable steps technicians and leaders can follow when systems are compromised. It includes clear checklists and response protocols to track trays manually and maintain workflow integrity until systems are restored.
“Key takeaways are…defining what that network downtime looks like,” Elms told Infection Control Today® in an interview at the conference. “And then trying to prepare leaders to make those decisions on how they want to perform that downtime period. The last thing is describing a downtime playbook and focusing in like a playbook like football, where you have this playbook with a bunch of different scenarios, and how that all ties into start processing, and how you know having that downtime playbook, and there's just a checklist of, “Okay, network is down. Now, what do we do?’”
He also addressed one of the most persistent challenges in sterile processing today: staffing. From inaccurate productivity calculations to the shortage of leadership candidates, Elms noted that SPD staffing is often misaligned with actual workload. Encouraging leadership development from within is essential, as many long-term technicians may not pursue advancement unless prompted or supported.
Beyond his presentation, Elms noted the value of the HSPA Annual Conference as a place for professional growth and meaningful networking—especially through LinkedIn connections that transform into real-world collaboration. The exchange of ideas and experiences keeps the sterile processing field strong and evolving.
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