Understanding cross-contamination is fundamental to being successful Operating Room Nurses, Infection Prevention Practitioners, Surgical Techs, and Sterile Processing Professionals. On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight we talk with Barbara Ann Harmer, RN, VP of Clinical Services at Innovative Steri

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch considers an unconventional approach to staff competency -- "We put a premium on cross-training, while paying lip service (and low rates) for any type of true specialization in our field. Technicians who may be great at reading preference cards and p

Does current surgical site infection data account for the reality of contaminated implants? What kind of research has been done around the safety of individually packaged sterile implants versus reprocessed implants? During this Season 8 Rewind of the Beyond Clean podcast, we sat down with Dr. Aakas

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Why Are Your Loaner Trays Late?." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the touchy (but necessary) topic of peer accountability -- "The problem is that when we bring this general cultural concept of politeness into a specific context such as sterile processing, it can slowly pull individuals and teams down into t

It wouldn't really be Sterile Storage Wars if we didn't discuss the inter-department battles for space that so often happen in our hospitals. Who really owns the Sterile Core in your OR? Who gets to decide how your L&D instrument storage is organized? On this final episode of Season 14, we sit down

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "The Special Talents of Enzymes." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/c

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the common excuses SPD gets from vendors and what should be done about it -- "Our roles as medical device reprocessors is to uphold standards and best practices to ensure adequate time is available and compliant processes are followed as it r

What has four wheels, no brakes, and saves lives? That's right, surgical case carts! These stainless steel superheroes are the unsung workhorses of the Sterile Processing department, and even though they only hold supplies for a short amount of time, they are a critical aspect of high functioning st

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Material Compatibility: When In Doubt Check the IFU." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educ

Renovating a Sterile Processing department while effectively keeping up with surgical volumes is not an easy task- some may even call it impossible! On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight we talk with Mark Munroe, VP of Strategic Projects and Mobile Solutions, about the STERIS Mobile Sterile Processi

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the three angles of looking at a problem -- "The best way to describe the Triangle of Truth is that it acts as a filter to enable anyone from frontline technicians to department leaders and administrators to quickly pinpoint root causes for c

The hallways are quite(r). The phone calls are few(er). But the time is also short(er) to get everything in and out of sterile storage for those critical first cases which will be starting in just a few hours. Will your SPD & OR team be prepared? What are the unique challenges faced by our teams whe

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Vendors and Hospitals: Time for a Fresh Start." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.be

When it comes to safe surgical devices, if you are not certain it’s clean, it doesn’t matter what you do next, and your surgical patients could be at risk. On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight we speak with Debbie Armstrong and Dr. Augusto Sorrequieta,PhD. at Terragene, an innovative new company ab

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the seven key steps to making changes in Sterile Processing departments stick -- "We see something is not working and then we tell the people around us that we need to do it differently. This process is repeated again and again until we are s

You won't last very long in the Sterile Processing industry if you're not a "clean freak," but do you have to be a "neat freak" too? How important is it to stay organized when creating (and keeping) an excellent sterile storage area in your department? What are the keys to ensuring anyone on your te

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Ditch the Pipe Cleaners in the Decontamination Department." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https:

Occasionally, you interact with a family-owned business with a dream to carry their product solutions from a regional level to a national level. On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight we talk with Brad Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Stat-Tech Surgical Supply Company, family-owned business, about their visi

In this episode of Articles-On-The-Go, Hank Balch relates how documented competencies for Sterile Processing Technicians is a matter of life and death -- "Facilities and leaders who are willing to short-circuit employee competency checks are showing that they actually do not believe the work being d

Perhaps the Number ONE driving force for sterile storage upgrades in Sterile Processing departments is the issue of regulatory compliance. But just checking boxes so you don't get cited by the Joint Commission or DNV should NOT be the ultimate end goal (as important as those things are). On episode

On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Respect Your Water." To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks o

When it comes to adding space, a hospital has two options: move to a new building and renovate, which can completely disrupt staff operation, or use the current space and invest in a more space-efficient storage system. On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight we talk with Ian Loper from DSI about an i

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch invites us to pause and consider the impact of technology on the value of Sterile Processing Technicians: "Department leaders cannot afford to simply open the floodgates of technology into their departments without judicious consideration of the men