role of education and standard work in creating sustainable improvements within central sterile processing departments
Summary
This research paper seeks to understand the role of education and standard work in creating sustainable improvements within central sterile processing departments. Sterile processing technicians sterilise, clean and assemble medical equipment. Therefore, poor practices by the sterilisation technicians will result in infections. Inadequate sterilisation of equipment remains a medical headache due to the following reasons: Ambiguous manufacturer instructions, Poor work environment, Demand for equipment off duty, Poor communication and inadequate training.
Standard work is an offshoot of Kaizen management principles, which advocates for continuous improvement of an organisation through small changes. It strives to increase efficiency; precision and wellbeing, by making patients the centre of all healing processes steps in standard work include defining the baseline, implementing standards and continuous improvement of the plan. Regulatory bodies such as the FDA, CDS and international organisations such as ISO and World Health Organisation provide the rules for implementation. Benefits of standardisation in healthcare include consistent quality, higher production, it eliminates ambiguity and boosts employee morale.
On the other hand, education is also an efficient tool for ensuring employees are aware of their duties and roles. A study in Ethiopia found a considerable reduction in patient infections after staff got training in sterilisation techniques. The team also had changes in the process, structural flow and more knowledge after training. These changes led to efficient cleaning of equipment, more attention during cleaning, better packaging practices and storage methods. Advantages of training personnel include; it is financially viable; it enhances Patients appeal, instils Leadership qualities, workers earn the Respect of their peers and employees receive higher pay.
The sterilisation department lags behind other medical in terms of training curriculum, funding and adoption of efficient management practices. Therefore, there is room for more work by health stakeholders to improve it.