Featured in a recent article on Healthcare Purchasing News, Derek Lashua, Marketing Director for Spectrum Surgical Instruments/STERIS Specialty Services, addresses how healthcare facilities can increase savings through preventive maintenance.

Lashua explains the benefits of adopting a proactive versus a reactive approach is key and outweighs the expenses associated to instrument failure and replacements.

Ongoing staff education is vital to a successful preventive maintenance program. Healthcare facility staff should understand the surgical instrument repair process, instrument testing standards, key points of inspection, proper cleaning techniques and interdepartmental communication.

“A comprehensive preventive maintenance program coupled with vendor-provided instrument education programs can fortify a well-educated staff to prevent and identify problem areas before they reach the operating room,” said Lashua. The bottom line is that through combined education and training on the repair process— and through educating the Sterile Processing and Surgery departments on preventive maintenance techniques, patient safety will improve and costs will decrease as minor repairs are discovered before instruments break or create potential liability issues.”

A preventive maintenance program can assist CS and OR staff in ensuring that surgical instruments and equipment are functioning properly and readily available for greater process efficiency, safer patients and more satisfied surgeons.

Spectrum Surgical offers educational opportunities, lectures, literature and more. Contact us for more information.