Accreditation surveys can feel overwhelming, but they don’t have to. The most cited findings during surveys are often the most preventable and with CensiTrac, your team can avoid surprises and show up prepared.
Here are five common pitfalls surveyors report and how CensiTrac helps sterile processing departments (SPDs) stay one step ahead.
Five Common Pitfalls during SPD Surveys
1. Missing or Incomplete Load Records
The Risk:
Surveyors regularly cite facilities for lacking complete, digital, and timestamped sterilization logs. This creates risk during audits and compromises traceability if something goes wrong.
Why it matters to SPDs:
When sterilization logs are incomplete or scattered on paper, SPD teams can’t confidently verify that every load was processed correctly. This raises red flags during a survey, and could make it harder to respond to adverse events.
Patient Safety Impact:
Without a clear, accurate sterilization record, patient safety is compromised if a contaminated or improperly sterilized tray is used during a procedure.
How CensiTrac helps:
CensiTrac automatically captures digital, timestamped load records across washers, sterilizers, and other reprocessing steps. It eliminates paper logs and gives you a complete, auditable trail, ready for surveyors, and safe for patients.
2. Lack of Preventative Maintenance Documentation
The Risk:Facilities are often cited for failing to document ongoing equipment maintenance, which is a critical part of infection prevention.
Why it matters to SPDs:
Sterilizers, washers, and ultrasonic cleaners must function correctly to ensure safe instrument reprocessing. If maintenance logs are missing, it may suggest equipment is being used without proper upkeep.
Patient Safety Impact:
Using malfunctioning equipment can result in ineffective sterilization, putting patients at risk of infection.
How CensiTrac helps:
CensiTrac’s Efficiency Task module allows teams to build and barcode daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance tasks. Everything is timestamped and reportable, so you’re always ready with proof of compliance.
3. Inconsistent Audit Trails
The Risk:
Surveyors frequently flag SPDs for not documenting internal quality issues or external complaints, creating gaps in accountability.
Why it matters to SPDs:
Without a documented process for capturing and addressing errors, teams risk repeated mistakes, unresolved issues, and survey citations for poor quality assurance practices.
Patient Safety Impact:
Missed errors, like improperly cleaned instruments, can go uncorrected and reach patients, causing serious harm.
How CensiTrac helps:
With the Quality Feedback module, you can log internal findings, track resolution steps, and create a closed-loop system for continuous improvement. Every error, response, and follow-up is documented and ready for review.
4. No Documentation of Equipment or HLD Tracking
The Risk:
Surveyors often cite departments for not documenting High-Level Disinfection (HLD) steps or for manually tracking critical equipment like leak testers. They also flag instruments marked with tape or non-compliant materials.
Why it matters to SPDs:
Relying on manual logs or visual markings like tape limits traceability, introduces variability, and puts your department at risk for citations. Tape can degrade, fall off, or violate IFUs—compromising both compliance and efficiency.
Patient Safety Impact:
Missing documentation or skipped HLD steps can mean that scopes or instruments aren’t safe for use. Tape on instruments can prevent effective sterilization or result in foreign object risk if it peels off in the sterile field.
How CensiTrac and CensiMark help:
CensiTrac digitizes your HLD and manual equipment tracking using barcodes and custom workflows. Plus, with CensiMark instrument marking, you can replace risky tape with durable, scan-ready markings that support full traceability. You can tie each cycle or test to a tray or instrument and pull proof of compliance in seconds.
5. Survey Readiness Gaps in Real-Time Data Visibility
The Risk:
When surveyors request documentation, many SPDs scramble to compile records from spreadsheets, paper, and different systems.
Why it matters to SPDs:
Lack of centralized, real-time data makes survey day chaotic and stressful. It also reduces confidence in your team’s ability to consistently meet standards.
Patient Safety Impact:
Data silos make it harder to catch process breakdowns in real time, potentially leading to delayed or unsafe instrument use.
How CensiTrac helps:
CensiTrac centralizes all data, from sterilization logs and user actions to maintenance and quality audits. When surveyors ask for documentation, you can run reports instantly and show full transparency into your operations.
Build a Culture of Daily Compliance
The secret to successful surveys? Don’t treat survey prep as a one-time event, treat it as a daily habit. CensiTrac helps you do just that by embedding compliance, documentation, and accountability into your everyday workflow.
When your system works for you, your team can focus on what matters most: safe instruments, smooth workflows, and confident survey performance.
Ready to level up your survey prep? Reach out to our team to see how CensiTrac can support your department.
