When the Stakes are Even Higher: Sterile Processing in the Age of Coronavirus

Sterile Processing professionals (SPs) have long been at the frontlines of protecting patients from cross-contamination from used operating instruments and other hospital equipment, but their intimate knowledge of virus transmissions risks, decontamination techniques, and processing protocol has never been as critical as it is during the age of coronavirus. And though SPs already adhere to an array of strict guidelines like the CDC’s Cleaning and Sterilization guidelines, regulatory standards from federal and state agencies, and their own facility’s protocol when cleaning, reassembling, and sterilizing operating instruments prior to the next procedure, there’s no time like a pandemic to review, refresh, and even strengthen sterile processing protocol to protect patients, doctors, and other hospital professionals.