Mission Critical: Working Conditions M For Reprocessing Techs F

Mission Critical: Working Conditions for Reprocessing Techs

Are your reprocessing techs working in conditions that foster their best performance? In many facilities, that’s not the case, said James Davis, MSN, RN, a certified health care environmental manager and senior infection prevention analyst at ECRI Institute, who spends much of his time auditing and consulting with gastroenterology practices across the country.

“I’ve seen a lot of facilities that do it right—and others that just make do with what they have,” Mr. Davis told Priority Report. “That may mean that if you get another reprocessing machine, you fit it in the closet in the back next to the two existing machines, with techs bumping into each other. Unfortunately, that’s fairly prevalent in the field; space is not well thought out, and there is little attention paid to ergonomics and technician comfort. People think, ‘Oh, this is just where we reprocess scopes, so it doesn’t require much attention,’” he said. But, he stressed, “these are mission-critical staff members, and they can’t do their best work in poorly designed environments.” see Mission, page 46

Tips for Designing Reprocessing Spaces Mr. Davis listed several key principles for the design of a well-functioning reprocessing space, including:

Optimize the layout of the overall space.

Do you have a one-way workflow that separates contaminated spaces from clean ones, and doesn’t require your techs to frequently regarb and resterilize?

Consider placement of sinks and counters.

“If you are working an eight-hour shift and are hunched over a sink for hours at a time, you will develop back issues,” Mr. Davis said. “And if your back is hurting, you’ll be distracted when you’re cleaning the ports on that scope.” A number of vendors now supply adjustable-height reprocessing sinks that can be moved to the right height for each staff member.

Ensure appropriate heating, ventilation

and air conditioning (HVAC) design. “The reprocessing space can get hot and humid,” Mr. Davis said. “Meanwhile, your staff is working in personal protective equipment that exacerbates those conditions. If you can’t control the HVAC environment because of building design limitations, you need to assess the kind of accommodations necessary to keep your staff comfortable, such as cooling vests.”

Consider other ergonomic aspects of the

space. What other things can you do to make the standing, bending, reaching and repetitive movement less physically taxing? “We have pressure reduction mats both at the reprocessing sinks and machines, as well as in the procedure rooms for where we are standing next to the physicians,” said Laura Falcon, RN, a nurse manager for Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology, the largest GI group in Colorado, which has three endoscopy centers throughout the Denver metro area. “We do a lot of standing, and those mats

make it much easier on our legs and backs.”

GI Associates Endoscopy Center in Wausau, Wis., uses similar pressure reduction mats in their reprocessing area, noted endoscopy technician Amanda Jensen. “We also have a ‘Scope Buddy’ flushing aid, so instead of having to manually push syringes of detergent and air through the scope, the machine does it all on its own,” Ms. Jensen added. “We just verify the water flow every morning to ensure the pressure is acceptable. That saves a lot of wear and tear on our wrists.”

Consider scheduling factors. Beyond the physical conditions your reprocessing staff is working in, their schedules also are important to consider. “No matter how comfortable we make the environment for our reprocessing staff, they are working in conditions that are not always comfortable,” said Milton Smith, MD, an associate professor of gastroenterology at UC Health in Cincinnati. “You have to work out a reliable break schedule because it can be physically challenging to be in gown and mask doing these repetitive tasks for a long period of time. In our facility, when the scopes are in the reprocessing machine, [reprocessing staff] only need to be gowned and masked when they are physically handling the scopes.”

GI Associates has a “float tech” position that serves several purposes. The float tech is available to give the scope reprocessing tech several muchneeded breaks throughout the day. “While one tech is assigned as a scope reprocessor and others are assigned as assist techs, the float tech is available to help the entire tech team with room turnovers and lunch breaks as well as stepping in for the scope reprocessor,” said center director Shelly Hoffman, RN. “It would be backbreaking to do these tasks all day long; we try to be sensitive to the physical demands of the job.”