Top 10 Bad Habits in Sterile Processing

Small shortcuts in sterile processing can create major consequences—from instrument delays and failed loads to compliance findings and patient-safety risk. The following habits are common warning signs that a department needs stronger systems, education, and accountability.

1. Letting soil dry on instruments

   Delaying point-of-use care or decontamination allows blood, tissue, and bioburden to dry, making cleaning more difficult and less reliable. Devices should be cleaned as soon as practical after use.

2. Treating manufacturer IFUs as optional

   Using a familiar process instead of the current device-specific instructions for use can mean incorrect disassembly, detergent, cleaning method, cycle, or sterilization parameters.

3. Skipping careful inspection

   Passing instruments forward without inspecting for retained soil, damage, cracks, corrosion, sharpness, or function creates a serious quality gap. Cleaning, drying, and inspection should occur before packaging and sterilization.

4. Overloading washers, ultrasonic units, or sterilizers

   Overcrowding can interfere with cleaning action, water flow, steam penetration, drying, and proper cycle performance. “Fitting it all in” is not worth compromising the process.

5. Poor separation between dirty and clean work

   Allowing contaminated items, people, carts, or workflow to cross into clean assembly, packaging, sterilization, or storage areas increases the risk of recontamination. Central processing should maintain distinct decontamination, packaging, and sterilization/storage areas.

6. Using incomplete or inconsistent documentation

   Missing load records, biological indicator results, air-removal testing, maintenance records, or tracking information makes it difficult to demonstrate control of the process and respond effectively to a failure.

7. Assuming staff competency instead of validating it

   Orientation alone is not competency. Teams need ongoing education, observation, feedback, and documented validation—especially when instruments, equipment, IFUs, or policies change.

8. Ignoring wet packs, damaged packaging, and questionable loads

   A wet pack, torn wrapper, broken seal, failed indicator, or unexpected cycle result should never be normalized. These findings require evaluation before an item is released for use.

9. Storing sterile supplies carelessly

   Placing sterile items too close to the floor, ceiling, sprinkler heads, sinks, traffic, or areas where packages can be crushed or torn can compromise package integrity. CDC guidance specifies clearance expectations and protected storage conditions.

10. Operating reactively instead of measuring performance

    If the department only responds after an OR complaint, missing instrument, failed load, or survey finding, problems will repeat. Monitor trends such as tray defects, turnaround time, wet packs, biological-monitoring compliance, repairs, and OR-related delays.

    
    

A Better Standard

A high-performing SPD does not rely on heroics or memory. It relies on standardized work, current IFUs, visible quality checks, accurate documentation, staff competency, and communication with the OR.

At Evolved Sterile Processing Consulting, we help healthcare organizations replace risky habits with practical workflows that support compliance, staff confidence, and reliable surgical care.