Loaner instrumentation: processing the unknown

AORN Journal,  March, 2007  by Thomas G. Winthrop,  Barbara A. Sion,  Clifford Gaines

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Many hospital infection control committees may only be aware of the standards for biological testing of sterilization parameters and may not be aware of the loaner instrumentation coming through their doors. Additionally, although many vendors or hospitals may include an indicator in each set, the actual parameters under which decontamination took place are unknown. This is of particular concern if specialty instruments require different parameters for processing. This may include advanced technological instruments as well as power instruments.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A critical recommendation resulting from this project is that all loaner instruments coming from a vendor should be enclosed in biohazard containers. Second, some method of documentation on the decontamination process and quality assurance processes that are used by the institution should be included with each shipment, and designated receiving areas should be well-established by the hospital infection control committee, the central processing section, and the acquisition departments that process the requests. Third, institutions need to clearly define what qualifies as loaner instrumentation and include this in the SOPs for loaner instrumentation. This should be communicated not only to the central processing department and hospital infection control committee but also to the department of surgery so that everyone involved in the process understands the SOPs as well as the need for strict compliance with the standards.

Editor's note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the US Government.

REFERENCES

(1.) ASHCSP/IAHCSMM position paper on loaner instrumentation. International Association of Healthcare Service Materiel Management. Available at: http://www .iahcsmm.org/current_issues Joint_paper_ loaner_instrumentation.htm. Accessed January 29, 2007.

(2.) Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. AAMI TIR12: 2004--Designing, Testing, and Labeling. Reusable Medical Devices for Reprocessing in Health Care Facilities: A Guide for Medical Device Manufacturers. Annapolis Junction, Md: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation; March 28, 2005.

(3.) Basile R, Kovach S. TIR 12: The device preprocessor's bill of rights. Healthcare Purchasing News Online. Available at: http://www.hpnonline.com/inside/December%2005/0512newsmaker1.html. Accessed January 29, 2007.

Lt Col Thomas G. Winthrop, RN, MSN, CNOR, AN, USA, was chief of the Central Materiel Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, at the time this article was written. He currently is the chief nurse, 28th Combat Support Hospital, Mosul, Iraq.

Lt Col Barbara A. Sion, RN, MSN, CNOR, AN, USA, is the head nurse of the Central Materiel Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Clifford Gaines, CRCST, is the supervisor and educator for the decontamination section of the Central Materiel Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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