When instruments are missing from surgical sets, it can cause delays in the operating room and, in the most severe scenarios, may require a surgeon to change their surgical technique and approach to patient care.

It's surprisingly common in SPD for staff to struggle with correctly interpreting sterilization printouts. Staff in the SPD will sign off on a completed sterilization cycle without understanding how to read the critical phases of the sterilization cycle. We will break down what the staff should be reviewing.

Throughput refers to the quantity of materials or items moving through a system or process. In contrast, productivity measures the efficiency of a productive effort, particularly in industry, by evaluating the output rate per unit of input.

Creating an Operating Room (OR) instrument priority list is essential for efficient sterile processing. This list helps ensure that the most critical instruments are prioritized for cleaning, sterilization, and availability during surgical procedures.