Factors affecting implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening

Moistening of surgical instruments affects the quality of instrument cleaning, thereby affecting the degree of cross-contamination and in-hospital infection among patients. Surgical instruments should be kept moist immediately after use in order to avoid concentrations of contamination remaining on surgical instrument surfaces. Implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening have been rarely studied. We aimed to investigate the factors affecting implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate surgical instrument moistening procedures within 22 clinical departments of the West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University over 122 days between September and December 2019. We collected data from departmental staff using an interviewer-administrated questionnaire. Data about implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening was analyzed in SPSS20.0.

Implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening were 57.25% and 31.98%, respectively. Factor analysis showed that implementation rates of moistening were affected by instrument structure (X² = 143.670; P = 0.001), the number of instruments inside the pack (X² = 140.135; P = 0.001), and the person responsible for keeping surgical instruments moist (X² = 8.052; P = 0.005). Correlation analysis showed that instrument structure and the number of instruments inside the pack were negatively correlated with implementation rates of moistening. The more complex the structure and the greater the number of the instruments inside the pack, the lower implementation rates of moistening.

Implementation and pass rates of surgical instrument moistening were low, and failed to meet the central sterile supply department applicable industrial standard, hence the potential risk of hospital-acquired infection was considerable. Staff that manipulate reusable surgical instruments should be trained to properly moisten the instruments and institutional protocols should be established to ensure standardization and respect of guidelines.