1. Make sure to follow all disinfectant instructions. Shaun Sweeney, vice president of sales and marketing for Cygnus Medical, explains ASCs should follow manufacturer recommendations, which may include using approximately 500 mL of enzymatic detergent and water to suction and flush out channels. Skipping the first step of suctioning enzymatic detergent through the suction channels will not only affect the efficacy of the channels being properly reprocessed but will also release high volumes of gross contamination into the soaking stage. "High-level disinfection is dependent on every stage being performed properly. A breakdown early on can affect the efficacy of the process later," he says.
2. Use disinfectant wipes appropriately. In the past, users of wipes have been led to believe by insinuation in advertised claims that they need only to wipe a surface and allow the solution to evaporate and air dry, regardless as to whether the surface stayed visibly wet for the wet contact time required for the product to work, says Jack Wagner, president of Micro-Scientific.
Recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required producers of commercially prepared pre-moistened wipes (towelettes) to modify label use-instructions to accurately reflect the appropriate steps necessary to assure complete disinfection of inanimate patient care surfaces. The EPA has directed producers to specifically state "the surface must remain 'visibly wet' for the prescribed contact time in order to produce disinfection." In other words, if the disinfection time listed on the label is 10 minutes, the surface must remain visibly wet for the entire 10 minutes. The key phrase in this new directive is "visibly wet."
3. Befriend OR staff members; express appreciation often. A collegial atmosphere, peer respect and support is very helpful for OR staff members, says Lisa Austin, RN, CASC, vice president of ambulatory surgery center operations for Pinnacle III and president of the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. "We often forget to express that," she says. "Every once in awhile, whether it's through a lunch of just telling them how much [they're appreciated], that goes a long way."
4. Consider outsourcing some business management. John Merski, executive director of Human Resources for MedHQ, says there are potential benefits of outsourcing, such as providing accounting services, human capital management and system integration. The accounting services include gathering, interpreting and acting on financial data. The human capital management services include talent acquisition, timekeeping, payroll and human resource management systems. Outsourcing can integrate these accounting, HRMS and other systems