About Us, Mission Statement
The central Sterilization Department hereby known as CSD is responsible for the processing, sterilization and quality control of all sterile supplies and equipments used on patient care units.
An important measure against spreading of diseases is the requirement that all medical supplies, such as instruments, supplies, drapes etc, which are used on open wounds or will be in touch with the inner fluids of the body, are free of any viable micro-organisms. They have to be sterile. Some of these materials are sterilized at the factory and are designed for single use. However, many instruments used for medical interventions are very expensive and are designed in manner that they can be re-used.
Therefore the CSD plays an essential role in the attempt to reduce the spreading of diseases within the health service.
The CSD provides a high-quality reprocessing cycle in which the used materials are treated in a manner to be used safely again.
Mission Statement
The mission of the CSD at AUBMC is to be a leader in promoting state of the art service in sterilization of medical supplies while providing a safe environment as well as continuing education for CSD staff to be competent in operating equipment, processing instruments and devices, reducing costs, and avoiding errors.
The objectives of the CSD are:
To centralize the sterilization activities among the hospital.
To provide effective and efficient service by providing customers with right item, at the right place, at the right time, in the right condition.
To properly train all employees in optimal processing and sterilization techniques and aseptic handling of all sterile items.
To maintain an accurate record of the effectiveness of the various processes of cleaning, disinfection and sterilization.
To maintain quality control parameters for all sterile items, and methods of sterilization and to document the effectiveness of each sterilization method.
To maintain aseptic procedures in order to control the spread of infection.
History
The department used to be called:“Central Sterile Supply Department” (CSSD)
First it was located in the Dale Home Building and later was transferred to the Medical Center to its actual location.
Besides the sterilization processes that it used to provide, it used to dispense all medical supplies to the units, prepare and dispense all solutions (e.g. Normal saline, distilled water, mannitol, boric acid…)
Around year 2006, the Materials Management Department (MMD) took full responsibility on the delivery of the medical supplies among the Medical Center.
In 2010, the centralization of the sterilization activities started: The department started accommodating the operating room and all other units that used to perform sterilization activities on site.
Working hours were extended until 11:30pm / 7 days per week, including holidays.
The staffing was revisited in order to accommodate the centralization workload without compromising the staff safety, the customer satisfaction and above all without jeopardizing the patient safety:
• The number of staff was increased.
• A minimum education level of a Practical Nurse Diploma or a BT in Nursing is required.
A manual instrument tracking system was created for better follow up on the instruments.
Technical Preparations for centralization were performed: Installation of elevators between the OR and the CSD.
Closed carts were purchased for the CSD, the OR and some units to perform the daily rounds in a safe manner that does not contaminate the hospital environment.
Services
Decontamination:
Different type of cleaning is used in our decontamination area to remove all visible debris from an item and to reduce the number of microorganisms:
Manual cleaning is used for delicate or complex patient care items that cannot withstand rigorous mechanical cleaning and when indicated by the device’s manufacturer.
Mechanical Cleaning using:
ultra sonic: used only after gross soil has been removed from items to remove soil from joints, crevices,lumens,and other areas that are difficult to clean by other methods.
Washer disinfector is used for all medical devices that can withstand the powerful water jets.
Cart washer is used to wash all types of containers, basins, case carts, trolleys, etc
Assembly/General working area:
All items for sterilization must be inspected, arranged and packaged in a manner that allows sterilization to be accomplished.
The appropriate packaging materials should be selected for items to be sterilized.
Three types of packaging methods are used: Non-woven materials, paper-plastic pouches and rigid containers.
Sterilization
Items to be sterilized are subject to specific method of sterilization as per the manufacturers’ guidelines.
Three different types of sterilization are used in CSD:
Steam Sterilization, Pre-vacuum cycle is used: It is suitable for instruments that can withstand high temperature and humidity.
Ethylene Oxide Sterilization
Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization is used for heat and moisture sensitive items that cannot tolerate steam and when this method is indicated by the manufacture.
Only well trained health care professionals must operate the Ethylene Oxide sterilizer.
Hydrogen Peroxide sterilization
Hydrogen peroxide gas plasma (Sterrad) sterilization is used for heat and moisture sensitive items that cannot tolerate steam sterilization and when indicated by the device manufacturer.
Storage and Dispensing
A safe and secure location is designated to store all sterile supplies.
Specific environmental conditions are controlled to ensure sterility maintenance of the sterile items.
All sterile items are handled in a manner to avoid contamination and damage to the integrity of the package.
Stock rotation is maintained according to “First In First Out” principle.
Dispensing of sterile items is done based on the interdepartmental request initiated by the units.
Internal elevators are used for dispensing.
Closed carriages are used for the dispensing of sterile items to those units that are not accessible to the elevator.
Staff
News on Current/Upcoming Events
Preparing for a grand round or a full day event for internal and external candidates.
Location
AUBMC, Phase II, 1st floor, Room 139.
Hours of Operation
The CSD operates 7 days per week from 7AM till 11:30PM, and aim to respond to the patient care units in an effective, efficient and scheduled manner.
Personnel are allocated based on the operational demands of the department.
In an emergency, the standard hour of duty may be altered.
Contact Us
Telephone extensions:
6140- 6141- 6142- 6143- 6144- 6145
