Storage & Distribution, QA, and Equipment
Sterile storage is where the instruments are stored after the sterilization process has been completed. Items will be picked for scheduled surgical procedures and be used in the OR on a patient. Items in sterile storage must have gone through the decontamination process, assembly and packaging process, and then the sterilization process. Distribution refers to the process of distributing sterile single use or reusable items to the OR and other areas within the hospital or facility. Sterile single use or sterile reusable items can be stored in the Sterile Storage area and picked by sterile processing personnel as the OR and/or other departments have requested. Par levels and other required processes of sterile item replenishment will be discussed in class. Quality Assurance is the daily testing of each sterilization method, high level disinfection process, decontamination and thermal disinfection process. Daily tests are performed and results are recorded for quality assurance and auditing purposes. Learning the record keeping processes, especially with daily testing of each sterilization method, will be practiced in the lab alongside the sterilization lab activities. Various items of equipment are used with the OR and throughout the hospital or facility. Equipment items can include: morphine drips, epidural pumps, feeding pumps, other pain management devices, etc. These equipment items are usually picked up by the sterile processing departments and disinfected using low level disinfectants. Not every hospital or facility will require sterile processing staff to complete these tasks; Distribution technicians will assume the duties in such cases and perform the necessary disinfection procedures.