There is one theme that shows up in nearly EVERY surgical instrument quality breakdown headline to come out in recent years. That reoccurring theme is a lack of point-of-use cleaning in the OR and the many implications this oversight has on a Sterile Processing team’s ability to #FightDirty with any success. For the first episode of Season 3, we bring on Lisa (Wakeman) McKown, Sterile Processing Education and Quality Coordinator for the Indianapolis Suburban Region of IU Health Network, to discuss point-of-use cleaning and perioperative collaboration.

Can you account for every implant screw and plating system within the four walls of your hospital? Can your Sterile Processing team efficiently and correctly validate, restock, and reorder consignment inventory? Or are you like the majority of facilities in the industry who are still struggling with tracking, billing, and inventorying these high dollar headaches? On this episode of the Beyond Clean Podcast, we put the screws to Phil Sayles about the coming digitalization of surgical implant management and what it means for vendors, supply chain, sterile processing, and perioperative staff.

How does an innovation in the infection control industry make it from idea to market? What role does collaboration play in opening doors for Sterile Processing professionals to expand their networks both locally and around the world? On this week’s edition of the Beyond Clean Podcast, we tracked down Michael Diamond to chat about the tremendous work The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS) is doing to change the way innovators are approaching the challenges of global health, and what opportunities are available for our listeners to join the cause.

Are your ATP tests measuring what you think they are measuring? What is the real relationship between residual protein, dangerous bugs, and our mission to #FightDirty in our departments? For this re-release episode of Season 3 of the Beyond Clean podcast, we discussed these questions and more with Dr. Christine Greene, Senior Scientific Consultant & Regulatory Microbiologist at TSG Consulting. In this episode, Dr. Greene gives us her perspective on the use and potential short-comings of ATP testing in the healthcare setting, along with commentary around alternative approaches for cleaning verification. 

Few materials in the world have come to define a Sterile Processing professional more than stainless steel. We are literally surrounded by it – our sinks are composed of it, our washers are encased by it, our assembly tables are covered with it, and yes – 99% of the tools of our trade are manufactured from it. And yet, even with this daily familiarity with stainless steel instrumentation, there are still many things not known or misunderstood about this marvelous metal. On this episode from Season 3 of Beyond Clean, we asked Daniel Coole everything you ever wanted to know about stainless steel and start answering some of these important questions.

What does surgical instrument sterilization look like on the battlefield? In disaster zones? In the middle of an Amazonian rainforest? In the near future it could look very different and much smaller than traditional means and models of modern sterilization techniques. On our last episode of Season 3, we dropped the mic in front of Daniel Taggart of SteriO3 to give us a ton of interesting insights into the latest advancements impacting portable sterilization technologies. Tune in with us this week, join the conversation, and start thinking #OutSideTheHospital.

How has technology impacted our potential to know and follow device manufacturer instructions for use in Sterile Processing? How far have we come and what does the future hold for the technology vs. IFUs challenges within our industry? On this week’s edition of Beyond Clean, we speak with Andy Petrovich about how technology is being used to drive real world compliance in our departments. Don't miss this important conversation and make sure to take the 1 CE Quiz at our CE Credit Hub for chances to win free Sterile Processing resources!

As the backbone of most Sterile Processing workflows around the globe, steam sterilization is a massively important topic. And yet there are still pervasive misunderstandings across the industry regarding how and why our autoclaves should be tested, and just as importantly, when it is necessary to validate their performance. In addition to proper loading and use, a number of other aspects of care and maintenance go into ensuring these devices operate at maximum safety and efficiency. On this episode from Season 3 of Beyond Clean, we talked to Joel Schafer about the science of steam sterilization and take you #BeyondSteam.