Workshop: Sterile Processing is Instrumental to the OR’s Success

Editor's Note

In this workshop, one thing was made clear from the get go: “SPD [sterile processing department] is the key to success for the OR,” said W. Zeh Wellington, DNP, RN, NE-BC, director of procedural care and surgical services at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

Wellington began by dazzling the audience with the many, many things to boast about Lurie Children’s accolades. For instance, Lurie Children’s has received four Magnet designations, a redesignation which less than 1% of all hospitals have achieved three or more times. “We’re one of the top hospitals in the state, probably in the US or in the world…or so I thought,” Wellington said.

An inspection of Lurie Children’s SPD revealed “222 trays leftover from the day before, nine FTE [full-time employees], fallen shelf units, horrible lighting, and missing instruments.” Adopting a model used by the airline industry, Wellington declared that Lurie Children’s SPD was going to be the “SPD bison and head towards the storm.”

One of the first things they did was reinforce their SPD staff. “How can you be a great leader without anybody to lead?” asked Wellington. One of their first hires was a full-time, dedicated SPD educator. “If you don’t have one, I suggest you get one, because ours is one of the main reasons for our success,” he said.

“We wanted to make sure our frontline staff was properly educated on what SPD does and can do,” added Charles Williams, CSPDT, Lurie Children’s manager of SPD. “We empower our educator to educate all staff, and I personally empower my staff to hold me and other leadership accountable and to let us know when we’re doing something wrong.” Williams also presented part of the workshop alongside Robin P. Adkins, BSN, CNOR, RNFA, senior director of clinical engagement at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

The next hires were two resource coordinators, who were key in their process to reimagine and optimize the organization and labelling throughout the department. An attendee asked how they convinced administration to give them the money for those FTEs. “I brought scrubs up to the C-suite and said, ‘Let’s go on a field trip,’” said Wellington. “I told them, ‘I’m concerned, I’m uncomfortable, and this is a safety issue.’ It’s very hard for senior leadership to say no if you bring them safety issues, so go prepared with that information.”

“Administration loves numbers,” continued Wellington. He explained that it took several meetings to get Lurie Children’s administration behind the investment, and that he took two or three surgeons with him most times who also had complaints.

“First, [OR leaders] need to think of SPD as the wheels in the big, great locomotive that is the OR,” said Wellington. “It’s not about what SPD can do for you, but what you can do for SPD.” Only then will senior leadership begin to understand that if SPD fails, the OR stops.