A few times a month, I hear from a sales rep or a user about a failed wash indicator. It must be the indicator…can’t be our process and equipment. NO WAY!!! No one wants to learn that something is out of sync. This is especially troublesome when another indicator passes and our Case Soil indicator shows residue on the coupon, a failure...

Loaners play an important role in the modern healthcare system. Instrument sets are very expensive, and a healthcare facility doesn’t always have the budget to purchase them outright. This is especially true for highly specialized instrument sets, that aren’t often used but are still expensive to purchase...

Before the advent of computers, everything was done on paper; there was simply no other choice. Computers were supposed to change that, with their interconnectivity and programs like Microsoft Office that allowed users to write and send documents digitally. However, the opposite proved to be true...

The Digital Revolution, also known as the Third Industrial Revolution, refers to the advancement of technology from analog electronics and mechanical devices to the digital technology available today...

The use of adhesives and stickers on containers and medical devices has become a potential problem. Issues with residue on devices have led to a surge in citations from The Joint Commission for facilities not properly removing adhesive labels and the associated residue...

The beginning of the year means a complete inventory count so we can calculate our various taxes and see what our stock levels are. Our inventory is pretty big, so this is an all-hands operation. Production is completely stopped, employees are grouped into teams, and they go into our shelving to count everything that is there...

It is late October, a time when apples are pressed into cider, leaves turn to vibrant autumn colors and Halloween horror movies scare and thrill audiences. While the names of monsters, ghosts and ghouls in these movies change, there are some recurring themes that are common to all of them including dangers lurking in hidden places, unexpected twists, secret weapons and of course, sequels. In a horror movie starring SPD professionals ...

Let’s talk about rinsing, whether its dishes, your hair, salad fixings or medical devices. Doesn’t sound all that glamorous does it? Right up there with taking out the trash and many other chores that need to be done. That’s why they’re called chores after all. Truth is rinsing is really, really important, and yet is often overlooked or simply not done well enough because it takes time...

There's a lot to be learned from food science that can be applied to reprocessing medical devices. For example, you should never put meat into a cold pan before cooking, because the meat and even the oil will then stick and burn. Rather pre-heat your cookware before putting anything in it. The same principle of pre-heating holds true for sterilization, if you want to ensure a good outcome...