Beyond Clean Podcast

On this episode of Real Talk w/ Bob Marrs, Bob gets down and dirty about decontamination, particularly the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) when completing your Sterile Processing duties. Tune in to hear about why your mask matters, what OSHA has to say about your dirty room, and catch a promo of the next Billboard Top 100 hits!

The most valuable asset in your Sterile Processing department isn't your $250K cart washer or your $3.5 million dollar fleet of surgical instruments -- it's actually your people. So the important question is whether your department design is actually hurting your team. On this episode of Fighting Dirty, Hank gives some insight into the critical importance of ergonomics in Sterile Processing and the things every department should be doing to protect from injury and cultivate safe practices in the workplace.

Although most Sterile Processing professionals around the globe have heard of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and prions, there are still many misconceptions around these topics and their importance in the context of Sterile Processing. On this episode of the Beyond Clean podcast, we talk to one of the world's foremost experts on the topic of prions and vCJD, Dr. David Perrett, Professor Emeritus of Bioanalytical Science, Barts & The London School of Medicine.

What impact do broken surgical instruments have on patient safety, surgeon trust, and the bottom line of your department budgets? How about missing or misplaced instruments that cause delays in instrument reprocessing and turnovers? On this release of the new Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight series, we talk to Marcus Super about InstruSafe, the Sterile Processing-focused solution Summit Medical has created for overcoming the systemic challenges of lost and broken surgical instrumentation.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mike and Hank talk about an announcement out of Buffalo, New York regarding a free Sterile Processing training program for local students -- why it's awesome, and how this type of community investment will eventually lead to safer surgery. They also discuss a few of the differences between professional SPD training and the kind of on-the-job training that is common in many places around the globe. Tune in and #GetSchooled!

On this episode of Real Talk w/ Bob Marrs, Bob speaks directly to our brothers and sisters in the Operating Room about the critical importance of pre-cleaning, and the truth about instrument turnover times. Tune in to hear about realistic timelines for cleaning, inspection, sterilization, and cooling for your turnover instruments!

Creating a great resume is one of the most important things you can do as a Sterile Processing professional who wants to grow. But many of us were never taught how to write a persuasive resume that says more than just when and where we worked. On this episode of Fighting Dirty, Hank discusses how to think about your own professional persona and gives tips on creating that killer resume you need to get you on top of the pile. Tune in and #GetHired!

How is quality measured in your Sterile Processing department? And, perhaps more importantly, how would patients know the difference between a hospital with a high quality instrument reprocessing team or one still struggling to implement best practices? On this episode of the Beyond Clean podcast, we talk to Jeremy Gibson-Roark, Certification Surveyor with DNV GL, about how departments are implementing quality management programs around the country.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mike and Hank talk about a recent headline grabbing story from a California hospital regarding a retained surgical item, this time a 2" ribbon retractor. They discuss some of the potential root causes and talk about the kinds of things that Sterile Processing should consider in trying to help their partners in the OR. Tune in and join the cause of: #NoInstrumentLeftBehind!

On this episode of Real Talk w/ Bob Marrs, Bob explains how to approach challenging situations in your Sterile Processing department -- especially when they are not your fault (i.e. low staffing, insufficient instruments, inefficient processes). Great application for frontline technicians and leaders alike. Tune in to hear how to make it right in your department when it all goes wrong!

On this episode of Fighting Dirty with Hank Balch, Hank talks about one of the most dangerous and yet common practices in many departments today: double stacking multilayer trays during the washing cycle. This not only violates express manufacturer IFUs for these instruments and will get you cited by CMS, TJC, DNV and state agencies -- it is also extremely dangerous for your patients. One bug. One little infectious microbe hiding under a knee sizer can literally kill one of your patients.

While manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs) are getting a lot of attention in Sterile Processing departments today, when it comes to chemical safety, you need to know exactly what your chemical's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) says. On this episode of Season 5, we got Peggy Spitzer, Clinical Educator at Certol International, to discuss important contours of chemical safety in Sterile Processing that can keep your teams safe and compliant.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mike & Hank talk about the latest announcement from Ambu A/S & Cook Medical regarding a Single-Use Duodenoscope that will be disrupting the US market. Cleaning, disinfection & storage challenges surrounding endoscope reprocessing are some of the hottest topics in the medical device industry today, so this announcement is sure to make waves. This episode will talk about some of the potential implications & remaining questions left to answer. Tune in and get #Scoped!

On this episode of Real Talk w/ Bob Marrs, Bob brings up one of the most shocking statistics in all of healthcare -- nearly 100K patients are dying in our hospitals each year. Why is this happening? And how do we keep the national conversation focused where it should be? Tune in for his passionate plea to keep this topic front and center -- where it should be. #RealTalk #BobMarrs #BeyondClean #WeFightDirty™

Shift huddles are one of the most important things you can do every day as a Sterile Processing team. But there are many departments out there who either don't do them at all, or do them all wrong. On this episode of Fighting Dirty, Hank gives some insight into why shift huddles matter and discusses a few tips on how to take your current shift huddle from good to great. Tune in and #ShiftYourPerspective! #FightingDirty #HankBalch #BeyondClean #WeFightDirty™