ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Instrument Sterilization: What’s the Evidence?

by Kurt Ullman • December 11, 2018

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

“All of these costs are passed along to the patients in increased facility fees,” said Dr. Bock. “These … contribute to the ongoing epidemic increases in national healthcare costs.”

You Might Also Like

  • Instrument Cleaning Inconsistent, but Crucial
  • Overinterpretation of Sterilization Guidelines Could Interfere with Patient Safety
  • Evidence-Based Research: The Foundation for Treatment Decisions
  • Evidence-Based Medicine Comes to Otolaryngology
Explore This Issue
December 2018

Contaminated instruments have consequences, however. In addition to increased infection rates, having to delay or cancel a procedure due to unsterile instruments leads to delayed treatment and inconvenience to patients and their families, who have rearranged their lives, as well as possibly increased waiting times. “Physicians and surgeons are often unaware of the mission and vision of TJC, which is [to ensure that] ‘all people always experience the safest, highest quality, best-value healthcare across all settings,’” said Julie L. Wei, MD, surgeon-in-chief at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando. “Reviewers for TJC will point out deficiencies that must be corrected to deliver the mission of improving health care and inspiring us to excel to provide safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

“As a surgeon, I may not agree with or feel inconvenienced by rules and regulations; as a parent, if my own daughter needed surgery, we would only take her to a hospital and healthcare organization whose culture and practice is aligned with TJC’s zero-error aspirational goal,” she said. “Until the day medical errors are no longer the third leading cause of death in the U.S., we simply can’t be vigilant enough.”

Julie L. Wei, MDAs a surgeon, I may not agree with or feel inconvenienced by rules and regulations; as a parent, if my own daughter needed surgery, we would only take her to a hospital and healthcare organization whose culture and practice is aligned with TJC’s zero-error aspirational goal. —Julie L. Wei, MD

Surgical Attire

Another area where there is disagreement with standards is in head-covering regulations issued by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and adopted by some. They require a bouffant head covering, which impacts a physician’s ability to wear a cloth covering. This is viewed by many as an unwarranted intrusion on a physician’s autonomy, and, ultimately, a contribution to physician burnout.

These concerns led the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO–HNS) to survey its membership and develop a list of concerns, which they then presented to TJC. While TJC was willing to listen and discuss the concerns, many of the top concerns, such as peel packing, decontamination procedures, and surgical attire, were results of unintended over-interpretations of the guidelines. While there were areas where the Commission said they do not have specific requirements, their surveyors were still handing out citations for “violations” as if these requirements existed.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features, Home Slider Tagged With: Clinical GuidelinesIssue: December 2018

You Might Also Like:

  • Instrument Cleaning Inconsistent, but Crucial
  • Overinterpretation of Sterilization Guidelines Could Interfere with Patient Safety
  • Evidence-Based Research: The Foundation for Treatment Decisions
  • Evidence-Based Medicine Comes to Otolaryngology

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.