The holidays are the busiest time of year, especially in the healthcare industry. Every year there is an uptick in elective surgeries from early November to the end of the year as patients try to maximize their deductibles.
With this increase in elective surgeries comes an increased workload for sterile processing departments (SPDs), and an increasing number of instruments for SPDs to keep track of. Departments who want to avoid quality issues — and stay off the naughty list this holiday season — need a high-quality electronic instrument tracking and reporting system, like Censis’ CensiTrac.
We talked to Jacob Long, Director of Sales Engineering at Censis, who outlined how electronic tracking systems help prevent quality events, keep staff trained on industry competencies, sterilize instruments based on IFUs, and stay up-to-date on industry standards.
Using Data to Avoid Patient Quality Issues
The first step in keeping your name off the naughty list is determining the common industry headaches departments are experiencing and using data from electronic systems to avoid them. “Data helps quantify reality or perception,” he said. “It turns data into reality.”
Digitizing common industry headaches makes it easier to not only capture them but implement processes to overcome them. “With CensiTrac, you can create a quality event just by scanning a barcode,” Jacob said. “It takes just one second as opposed to degowning, filling out a form, and going back into decontamination [to continue cleaning]. You can easily capture those quality event forms when they’re happening so you can better understand what events are actually happening.”
With that information, departments can easily put measures into place to ensure staff is trained on proper cleaning, handling, and tracking procedures.
Make IFUs More Accessible
With thousands of instruments to clean and processes and terminology varying across departments and locations, precisely following instruments’ instructions for use (IFUs) can be overwhelming.
Most electronic tracking systems, including CensiTrac, have a built-in master repository of all industry IFUs which allows departments to easily access and adhere to various IFUs. “If you don’t have one,” he said, “you have to rely on the vendors and that requires more management. Then you have to get the IFU into the hands of the people that need it. If that’s done incorrectly, you shoot yourself in the foot.” CensiTrac can be configured to show specific instructions at certain points of the cleaning process and can attach multiple media assets to files to simplify adherence.
Stay Up-to-Date on Industry Compliance Standards
To cement your name on the “nice list” this year, make sure you know how to use your electronic tracking system to easily meet industry compliance standards like AAMI. Even with the constantly changing guidelines, digital systems like CensiTrac update guidelines automatically, ensuring all departments are following best practices and staying compliant.
As an example, “The new features in ScopeTrac Advanced help customers be compliant with the new AAMI ST:91 guidelines,” Jacob said. Departments don’t have to worry about facing compliance issues or putting patients at risk; Censis does all the work for them.
Stay on the Nice List With Censis
From avoiding patient quality issues to meeting industry compliance standards, Censis solutions allow SPDs to meet them all. With robust reporting features, departments are provided with powerful data and functionality that ensures all departments stay on the nice list this holiday season.
Learn more about CensiTrac features by visiting our website or contacting a representative today.
