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Reducing the Frequency of Immediate‐Use Sterilization: A Systematic Multidisciplinary Approach
Author(s) -
Shelby Debra,
Kras Bill,
Bryant Sandra,
Myers Kimberly,
Bolyard Nancy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/j.aorn.2011.06.014
Subject(s) - sterilization (economics) , multidisciplinary approach , medicine , multidisciplinary team , economic shortage , operations management , nursing , quality management , medical emergency , business , engineering , management system , social science , linguistics , philosophy , finance , sociology , government (linguistics) , exchange rate , foreign exchange market
Efforts to comply with AORN's recommended practices for sterilization led a multidisciplinary team at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, to undertake a quality improvement project to reduce the frequency of immediate‐use (previously called flash ) sterilization. Team members determined that time pressures on sterile processing department personnel, staff members' inability to find items on the peel pack cart, and shortages of some instruments led to an increased reliance on immediate‐use sterilization. By tracking which instruments were most likely to be sterilized for immediate use, reorganizing the peel pack cart and instrument trays, and purchasing some additional instruments, team members were able to reduce the frequency of immediate‐use sterilization by as much as 70%. It is important for perioperative nurses to participate as members of multidisciplinary quality improvement teams to implement practice changes. Shared governance is critical to any improvement project to help provide positive outcomes for the organization and for patient care.