Worth
Repeating
Top issues for CSSD professionals for 2012:
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Certification of CSSD staff members
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Appropriate staffing
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Preparing for an inspection from The Joint Commission
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Equipment testing, including for washers, sonics and sterilizers
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Sterilization cycles
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Surgical instrument tracking
~ Mark Duro, CRCST, FCS, Central Sterile Processing Manager, New England Baptist Hospital, and member of AORN’s newly-formed News Advisory Group, in the Dec. 2011 AORN Connections article “Experts Suggest Top Concerns for 2012.” |
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CSSD Dictionary and Reference Guide
Buy Now
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 December 2011
In This Issue:
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Letter from the Editor
All is Not Right in the World
While preparing for the holidays, I came across a photo of my 3-year-old self decorating freshly-baked gingerbread cookies. Being sentimental, I marveled at the nostalgia of that photo: the colored Tupperware bowls that spun on the wooden Lazy Susan, the vintage placemats, the pink footed pajamas – and, yes, even my choppy, circa 1974 hairstyle.
Read More |
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Certification Corner
2011 Government Affairs Program Summary
By Josephine Colacci, JD, IAHCSMM Government Affairs Director
Given that it’s December, I thought it was the perfect time to outline the actions, accomplishments and initiatives set forth by the IAHCSMM Government Affairs Committee for 2011. Read More |
Ask the Expert
Q: Is there is a standard on the time it takes to sterilize a tray? We are having some difficulty with our surgery staff wanting trays sooner than we can turn them around.
Q: Do you know of a source for guidelines on table top sterilizers?
Click here to read the answers |
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Educator Update
Taking the Quality Step: The Importance of Instrumentation Processing QA
By Angela Lewellyn, LPN, CRCST
Success in the Central Sterile Supply Department cannot be achieved in the absence of quality – and that quality must be present in each and every process, procedure and practice. Read More |
Going Green
EPA Regulates Environmental Claims
In conjunction with the Design for Environment (DfE) Recognition for Disinfectants and Sanitizers pilot, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Limited Factual Claims of Environmental Preferability pilot program. Read More |
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Catapult Your Career
Fired? Laid off? Follow These Interviewing Tips
By Julie E. Williamson
If the downturned economy got the better of you and you were laid off as a result, you may be concerned how to address the situation during your next interview. While discussing a layoff or firing certainly requires a delicate approach, there’s no need to worry about it ruining your next shot at a good job -- Read More
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Breaking News You Can Use
Baking holiday cookies? Don’t eat that raw dough!
New research published in Clinical Infectious Disease revealed that ready-to-bake, prepackaged cookie dough was the culprit of a 2009 multi-state E. coli outbreak that sickened 77 people across 30 states. Read More
Paper a vehicle for bacterial pathogens
Here’s another reason hospitals should consider going paperless (and promote consistent, effective handwashing practices organization-wide): bacterial pathogens can survive on office paper long enough to be passed from one person’s hands to another ...Read More
Rotating night shift work ups type 2 diabetes risks in women
Women who work a rotating (irregular) schedule that includes three or more night shifts per month, in addition to day and evening working hours in that month, may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes ... Read More |
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