Tracking instruments isn’t an optional part of reprocessing and sterilization anymore. But you still have a few options for how you track your instruments. You can choose between a manual or an automated process. You can even choose how in-depth that tracking goes.
At Censis, we advocate for an automated instrument tracking process that’s as in-depth as possible—following every instrument all the way to the patient.
Now, you might be thinking, That’s a lot of work and a huge commitment to set up. And it’s true that the initial setup and onboarding for this kind of process takes some time, but it only has to be done once. In the long run, automating your instrument tracking to the patient level actually saves you time. Here’s how:
Automation Helps You Streamline Your SPD Workflow
Automation often comes with built-in reminders for your technicians to ensure that they stay on task. Plus, you can take advantage of reporting capabilities to monitor the time that each technician on your team spends on each task. This data helps find tasks that could be optimized, identify areas where your technicians might be struggling, and highlight gaps in the process that lead to slowdowns.
Over time, you’ll be able to streamline every step in your SPD and save valuable time that in the long term will lead to monumental savings.
Automated Tracking Helps You Get Assets to the OR on Time
With every step of the SPD process automated and tracked, you’ll be able to guarantee the on-time arrival of assets to the OR—and if there’s one thing that SPD teams want to avoid, it’s causing delays to the OR schedule.
Some tools allow the integration of an OR scheduler interface, giving both your SPD team and the OR team full visibility into the entire process. This means fewer phone calls and emails about the status of an asset and less time wasted trying to track down an asset that’s missing from the inventory. Especially during high-volume times, the ability to quickly locate an asset or its reprocessing status saves precious time and helps ensure patient safety by preventing surgical delays.
This visibility into the case and tray status ensure accurate case start times which improves OR efficiency, and both SPD and OR teams can provide each other feedback when instruments and sets have issues.
Tracking Instruments to Save Your Facility Time
Are you ready to take the leap and opt into instrument tracking that actually saves your facility time? Our surgical asset management experts are standing by, ready to help you figure out the best path forward. Contact us today to get started.
