Readying your SPD for a post-COVID world

Editor's Note

While responding to demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, perioperative leaders also are busy preparing staff and departments for life after the initial shock subsides.

Chief among their preparations are strategies to address the increased demand for surgery because of postponement of elective and nonessential surgical procedures.

The sterile processing department (SPD) will play a critical role in addressing the elective surgery backlog, and sterile processing personnel will face enormous pressure to keep up with the pace of their colleagues in the OR.

Perioperative leaders must take time to think critically about variables that govern the capacity of sterile processing, recognize and address resource constraints, and support strategies for recovery.

This article describes the efforts taken by SPD and OR managers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston during the pandemic to ready their departments for a post-COVID world.