Compliance of operating room sterilization procedures with valid Scientific guidelines

Abstract

introduction: Infections caused by surgeries have always been considered a primary concern of medical centers and are associated with irreversible complications. Using appropriate sterilization procedures reduces these complications. This study aimed to investigate how compliant are the current sterilization procedures of operating room (OR) environment and instruments with valid scientific standards. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study examined ophthalmology, gynecology, and otorhinolaryngology ORs of Valiasr Hospital in Birjand. With the presence of the researcher in the OR, a standard 41-item checklist consisting of three parts (environmental cleaning, equipment cleaning, and sterilization procedure) was completed for each OR in each shift. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test by SPSS(Version18) in significant level (a=0.05). Results: A total of 50 questionnaires were filled out for ORs. The highest number of questionnaires were completed for the gynecology OR, and the most elective surgeries were performed in the morning shift. There was no significant difference between the median score of OR instruments cleaning and that of valid scientific guidelines in terms of steralization (P> 0.05). The median scores of sterilization procedures and steps in hospital ORs were significantly different from those of scientific guidelines in the field of sterilization of surgical operations (P <0.05). Conclusion: The study findings indicate cases of mismatch between the quality of infection control and sterilization in the ORs of Vali-asar Hospital in Birjand and those recommended by valid scientific standards and guidelines.