Decades ago there was a chemical company slogan, "Better Living Through Chemistry". It's true that chemicals do support safe patient care such as cleaners, disinfectants, testing reagents, etc. However, if chemicals are not of the right concentration or strength, they tend to not be effective in supporting the concept of better living or patient safety for that matter. We are noticing that organizations that use chemicals in their cleaning and disinfection process are not always validating they are using the proper concentration that will ensure effectiveness. The most common areas of these observations are with sterile processing.
For sterile processing of medical equipment, chemical cleansers and detergents are often used for manual soaks or with automated washers. Automated washers should be calibrated to use specific amounts of chemicals that are being introduced into the cleaning process. Organizations should ensure these devices are maintained including periodic calibrations to ensure correct chemical concentrations. Check the instruction for use for both chemical in use and the automated washers. For manual processing, we often find that concentrations are inaccurate due to miscalculation of the chemical to water ratio, inaccurate marking for water amounts in sinks or incorrect amounts of chemicals being used. Manual measurements of chemicals should be made with a graduated cylinder or other approved measuring device. Automated dispensers that inject chemicals into the sink with a push of a button should be calibrated per the manufacturer's instructions for use to ensure that adequate amounts of chemical is being dispensed.
Organizational leaders should be rounding for the appropriate mixing of chemicals to include asking staff to demonstrate calculations and techniques according to the instructions for use. Ensure staff are safe with manual mixing and handling of chemicals. Support staff with job aids and checklists that can ensure they are mixing to the correct concentration. Validate that automated mixers and dispensers are maintained per the instructions for use.
Please contact us for questions or more information at 704-573-4535 or info@courtemanche-assocs.com.
Courtemanche & Associates specializes in Healthcare Accreditation and Regulatory Compliance Consulting Services. With over 30 years of being in business and 100+ years of healthcare experience amongst our consulting team, we are ready to assist with your accreditation and regulatory compliance needs.
