Keeping surgical instruments sterile, safeThe first line of defense in combating patient infections for a hospital is its Central Services. Sterile processing technicians sterilize and decontaminate reusable surgical and clinical instruments in adherence to standards and recommended practices prioritizing patient safety. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma) by: Marcy Sanchez, William Beaumont Army Medical Center
EL PASO, Texas — According to the World Health Organization, Health care-Associated Infection is the most frequent adverse event in health-care delivery worldwide.
While nosocomial infections, an infection acquired while admitted to a hospital, account for everything from urinary tract infections to pneumonia, a dedicated group of technicians at William Beaumont Army Medical Center work around the clock to minimize the potential for surgical site infections.
“We are the personnel who process reusable instruments,” said Army Capt. Cliff Fontanez, officer in charge, Sterile Processing Department, WBAMC. “Instruments that are used for surgery are sterilized here, with different levels of decontamination.”
The first line of defense in combating patient infections for a hospital is its Central Services, or SPD as it is known at WBAMC. Sterile processing technicians sterilize and decontaminate reusable surgical and clinical instruments in adherence to standards and recommended practices prioritizing patient safety.
“If the SPD goes down the Operating Room can’t function, most procedures at clinics can’t be done,” said Fontanez. “On a daily basis we decontaminate instruments that were used.”
While the main supply of unsterile instruments comes from WBAMC’s Operating Room, SPD processes all WBAMC instruments from dental to OBGYN. In addition to military and Department of the Army civilians, the SPD’s capabilities are increased by incorporating Veterans Affairs SPD technicians to serve not only WBAMC clinics but also the El Paso Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.
“The heart of the hospital starts with the ER, the same thing goes for us when it comes to the OR,” said Michelle Kim, SPD technician, WBAMC. “It’s not just cleaning instruments; (technicians) need to be knowledgeable.”
With each new surgical procedure introduced at WBAMC, technicians must train on the proper decontamination/ sterilization processes required for the procedure’s instruments, to include assembly and disassembly and functionality tests for specialized tools. About 6,000 sets of instruments are sterilized each month at SPD and each set may contain a few dozen instruments to more than 200.
“In the past most of the instruments were very easy to clean and process,” said Fontanez. “Now you can have five to six different sterilization methods for different types of instruments, including microsurgery instruments which are very delicate.”
According to Fontanez, the future of SPD technicians at WBAMC is filled with more learning opportunities as they prepare for operations out of the Fort Bliss Replacement Hospital. An increase in surgical capabilities and minimally-invasive robotic surgeries requiring specialized technical expertise is expected with the move.
“You need to know the (surgical) procedures,” said Kim, who has been working in the field for over a year now. “I love it.”
“They always say SPD are the unsung heroes,” said Fontanez. “If we stop, they stop.”
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
Operation Name Change Psychological Health Center of Excellence logo by: Navy Capt. Carrie Kennedy
In 1995, the Gulf War Health Center was created to address medical and psychological problems related to Gulf War service. In 1999, this mission expanded to deployment health in general and the name of the center changed to the Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC). DHCC was responsible for research, clinical care and education regarding deployment health issues.
In 2008, Congress created the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) and moved DHCC under the DCoE umbrella. In 2013, DCoE transferred the psychological health mission to DHCC and the mission of the center adapted again, this time to serve the psychological health needs of service members, veterans and their families.
The center now focuses on psychological health exclusively and is renamed to more accurately reflect this mission. Some deployment-related missions have been transferred to other agencies. If you’re having problems locating these resources, please go to our deployment health section, call the Outreach Center, or e-mail PHCoE for assistance.
The overarching mission of PHCoE is the optimization of the psychological health of service members, veterans and their families. PHCoE consists of approximately 150 active-duty, government and contract personnel who are dedicated to the psychological health of our military.
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
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