Application of standard operational procedures in sterilization and supply departments

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of standard operational procedures (SOPs) when used in the quality management system of sterilization and supply departments, and to provide a theoretical basis for ensuring sterilization quality. Methods At first, a standard procedure template was prepared, then each department member was assigned to customize their SOPs based on their own circumstances, and finally the SOPs were reviewed one by one by the departments before the members were trained and began to use the SOPs; totally 2 000 surgical instruments from January to December 2014 (before SOPs) and from January to December 2015 (after SOPs) were selected by random sampling, and the percentage of their cleaning quality failure, packing failure, needlestick injury, and the average of clean-up time were measured and compared. Results The possibilities of disqualified cleaning, packing, needlestick injury and lost stitches and average clean-up time decreased compared with those before the SOPs were introduced (χ2=132.37, 91.85, 9.98, 9.20, 32.85; P<0.05) . Conclusions The introduction of SOPs maintains the work of sterilization and supply departments orderly and improve its quality, and therefore, SOPs should be introduced into the quality management system of sterilization and supply departments. Key words: Quality management; Standard operational procedures; Sterilization and supply department