A Clean You Can Trust: Using an Evidence-Based Bundle to Transform Point-of-Use Treatment for Reusable Medical...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Infection prevention and control
• Medical device reprocessing

Background:

• Biofilm formation on reusable medical devices impedes sterilization.
• Point-of-use treatment (POUT) is crucial for preventing biofilm.
• Non-compliance with POUT increases patient risk and accreditation issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an evidence-based strategy to improve POUT compliance.
• To assess the impact of interventions on POUT adherence.
• To enhance patient safety and operational readiness through improved decontamination.

Main Methods:

• An interdisciplinary team utilized Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.
• A 29-criterion audit assessed evidence-based POUT practices.
• Four audits over ten months guided iterative improvements.

Main Results:

• A 26% increase in POUT compliance was achieved (66% to 92%).
• Evidence-based policies, competencies, and training were implemented across 34 clinical areas.
• Specific improvements noted for flexible endoscopes (+4%) and reusable instruments (+20%).

Conclusions:

• Multimodal, evidence-based initiatives are effective for improving POUT compliance.
• This approach is translatable to other Defense Health Agency facilities.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration ensures the viability and sustainability of workflow improvements.