Do you know the true cost of sterile processing-related OR events? According to Gregg Agoston, vice president of SpecialtyCare’s Surgical Services Division, that cost averages an eye-popping $6,000 every time a sterile surgical package has a missing or broken component, or a patient develops an infection from a contaminated instrument used in the operating room (OR).
“Hospitals, unfortunately, don’t do a very good job of reporting SPD-related events, which have significant consequences on operations and on patient safety, from the OR back to the SPD,” Agoston said. “The OR will typically report severe errors. They don’t necessarily record the everyday business-type errors of something missing or broken that cause significant delays and problems.”
Of course, consensus-based standards, regulations and manufacturers’ instructions for use are vital resources for sterile processing departments (SPDs). However, no guidance document can tell you specifically how much mistakes will cost your health care system.
For that, Agoston sponsored a study by senior-level industrial and operational engineering students at the University of Michigan, who used data from several hospitals to categorize errors using common scenarios, such as a missing peel pouch instrument or a replacement for a contaminated tray of instruments. The students calculated the per-minute cost of staff time and the cost of instruments and supplies required to correct the errors, using Lean Six Sigma process improvement approach to identify and solve problems. To account for the potential for patient infections due to reprocessing issues, the students also incorporated patient satisfaction surveys and the “soft cost” of the risk of a lawsuit into their calculations.
SpecialtyCare conducted a second study that drilled deeper into SPD and OR reprocessing-related incidents at two hospitals in Oklahoma. This study occurred after SpecialtyCare had implemented a system in the two hospitals to record errors accurately and educate SPD managers how to use it. Recorded errors increased significantly, providing accurate data to identify patterns of errors, define the problem and root causes, and focus on areas in need of improvement. For example, one new technician at a hospital made a number of errors, which signaled the need for more training and oversight. By tracking and addressing problems like these, the hospitals significantly reduced the number of errors and types of errors.
“Every one of these errors that occur in the operating room has significant cost,” Agoston said. “You’re processing not one tray, but two trays. You’ve wasted time for the technician, the operating room nurse, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the patient, potentially. The real cost [of errors] adds up to billions of dollars nationwide.”
Separately, SpecialtyCare examined error rates at the two hospitals by the tenure, knowledge and experience levels of sterile processing technicians. “We could see dramatically that the least experienced have the most errors.”
SpecialtyCare estimates that it costs about $57,000 to train a technician to reach competency at the 90% level. Yet even the most proficient technicians will take shortcuts and make errors in understaffed departments. And SPDs often have high turnover rates.
“Hospitals are losing tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars with all the errors that are occurring,” Agoston said, saying that the lost money would be better spent “giving people raises and making this more of a career and a profession.” He argues that sterile processing technicians who work in an environment where training and learning best practices is rewarded could ultimately help prevent costly errors.
Learn more at AAMI eXchange
Agoston’s startling results is just one example of how sterile processing professionals will see their work in a whole new light at the 2023 AAMI eXchange, which features a Sterilization Education Track for AAMI’s sterilization community.
Occurring from June 16 to 19 in Long Beach, California, the health technology conference features nine learning sessions specifically focused on preserving patient and staff safety through effective sterile processing. Topics to be explored include:
- Results from new industry research
- Reprocessing robotic surgical instruments
- Way to collaborate with HTM professionals
- Validating your cleaning tests for complex devices
- A post-pandemic look at disinfecting equipment and surfaces
- Talent development for the SPD
- Understanding current standards
- And more…
