Sterile processing departments (SPDs) are the unsung heroes of surgical safety, high-pressure, high-impact, and often under-recognized. But as Amy Webb, SPD Manager at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, reminded us on the latest episode of the ConCensis podcast, sometimes it’s not sweeping changes or expensive tools that make the biggest difference. It’s the everyday hacks, the practical, low-lift tweaks that quietly transform workflows, morale, and patient care. 

As we look ahead to 2026, Amy joined us to share her favorite SPD “hacks”, ideas rooted in experience, collaboration, and resourcefulness. 

Sterile Processing Hacks

🛠️ Hack #1: One Tray. One Container. 

What sounds simple in theory took a major effort to implement, but the results were worth it. 

Amy led a full overhaul of container organization at Mercy Gilbert, giving every tray its own assigned container. It wasn’t easy: container sizing, labeling, and lid color coordination all had to be thought through, and a second relabeling had to happen after switching to CensiTrac. 

But the outcome? Smoother workflows, faster turnover, and less second-guessing, both for the SPD team and for OR staff. 

🧊 Hack #2: Cooling Down Decontam with Creativity 

Arizona summers are brutal, and Amy’s team was feeling it, especially in the decontamination area. 

To combat the heat and boost morale, she introduced a creative fix: repurposing fully covered Stryker helmet togas to keep staff more comfortable during long shifts in decontam. It may seem like a small gesture, but the morale boost was immediate. 

Sometimes, a hack is just showing your team you’re listening. 

🏷️ Hack #3: Label Smarter, Not Harder 

Mercy Gilbert hasn’t fully marked their peel packs with key-dots yet — it’s a big project. But Amy didn’t let that stop her team from improving visibility. 

Instead, they started embedding location and department ownership into the instrument name fields in CensiTrac. This quick workaround gave them a way to track items across sites and clinics without needing full key-dot marking in place, and it made peel pack management faster, smarter, and more reliable. 

💡 Hack #4: Build Buy-In Through Psychological Safety 

Amy’s secret sauce for change management? Let the team lead. 

“When staff understand that a change will make their job easier, they’re usually on board,” she shared. But when it’s not clear, or the change feels daunting? That’s when communication, open forums, and psychological safety come in. 

Amy creates space for feedback, encourages staff to voice concerns, and openly explains which changes are possible based on AAMI or regulatory guidelines. “People want to feel heard and when they are, they’re more willing to try something new.” 

🔧 Hack #5: Tech Isn’t Optional — It’s a Hack in Itself 

After stepping into a second hospital still using manual documentation, Amy was reminded how much time and stress CensiTrac saves. 

At Mercy Gilbert, they use CensiTrac to: 

• Monitor productivity with complexity-based tracking
• Capture and relay quality feedback between SPD and the OR 
• Support compliance with automated documentation 
• Track daily volume and justify staffing needs more accurately 

“Once you’ve used it, you take for granted just how much it helps you focus on the work, not the paperwork,” she said.

📍 Looking Ahead: What Hack Should Come Next? 

When asked what hack she’d love to see in the future, Amy didn’t hesitate: GPS tracking for trays. 

She envisions a future where departments can locate a tray in real time with a sterilizable GPS tag, reducing delays, boosting accountability, and helping departments of all sizes operate more efficiently. 

 “It would solve 50% of our problems at Mercy Gilbert,” she said. “And we’re a small hospital — I can only imagine how powerful it would be at larger facilities.” 

🧠 How Censis Supports These SPD Hacks in Action 

Many of Amy’s day-to-day improvements are powered by tools already built into CensiTrac, helping her team work smarter, stay organized, and communicate clearly with the OR and leadership. 

Here’s how Censis helps turn hacks into habits: 

• Quality Feedback Module to support real-time OR collaboration
•  Label customization for smarter tracking without full instrument-level marking
•  Productivity reporting tied to tray complexity 
• Automated documentation to reduce manual tasks and improve compliance
• Flexible workflows that meet you where you are — whether you're high-tech or just getting started

 From the floor to the front office, these tools help SPD professionals do more with less and do it better.

🎧 Want to Hear More Hacks? 

Listen to Amy’s full episode of ConCensis to hear how these changes came to life and what they meant for her team.