Addressing Factors that Impede the Reprocessing of Surgical Instruments and Implementing Strategies to Improve Patient Safety

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Publication Date

7-23-2025

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Presentation: 37:31

Abstract

Reprocessing surgical instruments is a vital process in healthcare facilities. It ensures the safe use of instruments while preventing infection. Factors that affect reprocessing can be related to different conditions. There are instrument-related factors, contamination-related factors, reprocessing method-related factors, personnel-related factors, and regulatory-related factors. In this project, each of the above factors was evaluated to identify ways to reduce the turnover time in the Sterile Processing Department by 50% within six months. The quality improvement method that was used in this study was Fault-Tree Analysis. It was identified that some trays were delayed in the decontamination area. This was described as the undesired event to be evaluated with the Fault Tree Analysis. Conditions for the undesired event to occur were identified as low staffing, an increased number of surgical cases for the day, equipment breakdown, an increased number of items on the needs list for the following day, and a delay in the first case start.

The low turnover rate, as analyzed, does not depend solely on one factor or event, but rather on multiple factors. For this reason, increasing the number of staff alone cannot mitigate the problem, nor can fixing faulty equipment alone resolve the issue of the low turnover rate. All factors or events need to be fixed before the goal of a 50% increment in the low turnover rate can be achieved successfully.

Language

English

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