Rethinking sterilization practices: evidence for event-related outdating
Joan Webster1, Wendy Lloyd, Ping Ho
1Royal Brisbane and Royal Women's Hospitals, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|August 28, 2003
Abstract:
A prospective study was conducted during a 2-year period to evaluate the effectiveness of event-related outdating. Hospital-prepared sterilized items (n = 152) were shelved in wards and every 3 months, several articles were retrieved and microbiologically tested. During the 2-year period, all of the items tested were sterile.
Insights
Event-related outdating effectively maintains sterility for hospital-prepared items. Microbiological testing over two years confirmed all items remained sterile, demonstrating the method
Area of Science:
- Healthcare quality improvement
- Microbiology
- Sterilization processes
Background:
- Hospital-prepared sterilized items require effective expiration dating.
- Traditional time-based expiration dating may lead to premature discarding of sterile supplies.
- Event-related outdating offers a potential alternative to time-based methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of event-related outdating for hospital-prepared sterilized items.
- To assess the impact of event-related outdating on maintaining item sterility in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted over a 2-year period.
- Hospital-prepared sterilized items (n=152) were subjected to event-related outdating protocols.
- Items were stored in wards, with samples retrieved quarterly for microbiological testing.
Main Results:
- All tested items (n=152) remained sterile throughout the 2-year study period.
- No microbial contamination was detected in any of the retrieved samples.
- The event-related outdating strategy proved effective in preserving item sterility.
Conclusions:
- Event-related outdating is a viable and effective strategy for managing sterile hospital supplies.
- This approach ensures the sterility of items without relying on arbitrary time limits.
- Implementing event-related outdating can potentially reduce waste and maintain high standards of patient safety.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Methods of Sterilization II: Chemical Methods
In healthcare, the chemical method of sterilization uses chemical sterilants to treat surgical instruments and medical supplies to help prevent the transmission of infectious pathogens to patients. Due to heat sensitivity, most medical supplies and equipment should not be exposed to high temperatures. These parts include rubber, plastic, glass, and other similar elements.
Using chemical sterilization rather than heat to clean out equipment is recommended. It eradicates and removes all bacteria,...
Using chemical sterilization rather than heat to clean out equipment is recommended. It eradicates and removes all bacteria,...
01:29Methods of Sterilization I: Physical Methods
As used in a healthcare facility, sterilization destroys all microorganisms through physical or chemical methods. The physical method includes steam, dry heat, boiling water, and radiation.
Steam sterilization uses non-toxic, low-cost moist heat in the form of saturated steam under pressure, which is fast, microbicidal, and sporicidal, and quickly warms and penetrates fabrics. Autoclaves, or steam sterilizers, expose each item to direct steam contact for a predetermined time at the necessary...
Steam sterilization uses non-toxic, low-cost moist heat in the form of saturated steam under pressure, which is fast, microbicidal, and sporicidal, and quickly warms and penetrates fabrics. Autoclaves, or steam sterilizers, expose each item to direct steam contact for a predetermined time at the necessary...
01:30Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization are the methods that help to break the infection chain and prevent disease.
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...
01:23Physical Methods for Controlling Microbial Growth: Temperature
Heat is a widely used method to control microbial growth by targeting and denaturing cellular proteins, thereby killing or inactivating microbes. This method's effectiveness is quantified using parameters such as the thermal death point (TDP), thermal death time (TDT), and decimal reduction time (D value). TDP represents the lowest temperature at which all microorganisms in a liquid suspension are eliminated within 10 minutes, whereas TDT is the time necessary to achieve sterilization at a...
01:08The Availability Heuristic
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):