The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a detailed list of supplemental duodenoscope reprocessing. In its alert, it said that “hospitals and health care facilities that utilize duodenoscopes can, in addition to meticulously following manufacturer reprocessing instructions, take one or more of these additional steps to further reduce the risk of infection and increase the safety of these medical devices.”
The supplemental measures, which are outlined in the alert, include:
- Microbiological Culturing
- Ethylene Oxide Sterilization
- Use of a Liquid Chemical Sterilant Processing System
- Repeat High-Level Disinfection
Education from PAMED Helps You Improve Infection Control
In an online, on-demand CME course from PAMED, you can:
- Gain knowledge concerning practicing effective infection control protocols to reduce transmission of infections
- Identify improvements needed with regards to current routine infection control practices
- Practice effective communication with a goal of reducing the potential for transmission of infections
- Establish appropriate standard precautions to decrease transmission of infections
- Recognize key infection control practices
- Formulate improvements associated with infection control to reduce transmission and improve the health of the patient
Pennsylvania physicians can purchase an infection control plan from PMSCO Healthcare Consulting, a subsidiary of PAMED, which can be customized and includes policies and forms for your practice. PAMED members receive a discount.