Reducing the risks associated with loaner instrumentation and implants

Surgical facilities borrow specialty surgical instrumentation and implants from vendors and other facilities to provide needed inventory to perform scheduled procedures without the burden of purchasing these items. Borrowing has many advantages, including reduced costs and the ability to expand services offered, but borrowed items must be handled and processed in a consistent way to ensure safe patient care. Instruments and implants must be received in time to be properly reprocessed by the borrowing facility. Lack of planning on the part of a hospital or vendor, lack of communication, lack of appropriate policies to guide the processing of items, increasingly complex instrumentation, and increasing workloads are factors that can contribute to lapses in processing requirements and, ultimately, risk to patients and staff members. Improving communication and policies and procedures can improve the quality and safety of loaner instrumentation and implant use.