Breaking the seal: Defects in sterile processing - 17/01/26
, Joanna Veazey Brooks bRésumé |
This study provides the first national-level data on measuring defects in sterile processing departments (SPDs). Over 90% of SPDs reported at least one defect in a single week, with higher defects in facilities that reported inconsistent usage of quality checklists or tracking systems and lacked staff certification requirements. These findings highlight the need for systemic interventions, such as workflow standardization, integrated tracking, and uniform staff certification requirements to improve SPD performance and patient safety.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Graphical Abstract |
Highlights |
• | National study on the prevalence and types of defects in sterile processing departments (SPDs). |
• | An average of 3.5 defects were reported, with about 90% of SPDs reporting at least one measured defect in the past week. |
• | Lack of mandatory staff certification was linked to significantly more defects. |
• | Nearly 17% of defects were first identified in operating rooms, posing surgical safety risks and process delays. |
• | Inconsistent use of checklists and tracking systems highlighted the urgent need for workforce training, standardization, and effective tracking infrastructure in SPDs. |
Key Words : Surgical safety, Process defects, Patient outcomes, Infection control
Plan
| Conflicts of interest: Jessica A.R. Williams received funding from the AAMI Foundation Mary Logan Research Grant. Soumyadipta Roy received funding from the AAMI Foundation Mary Logan Research Grant. Joanna Veazey Brooks received funding from the AAMI Foundation Mary Logan Research Grant. |
Vol 54 - N° 1
P. 88-90 - janvier 2026 Retour au numéro
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