Selecting and implementing an instrument management system can be a daunting task. That's why Jackie Thomas, RN, BS, CNOR, CRCST, chair of AORN's Sterile Processing/Materials Management Specialty Assembly (SA) is working with members of her SA's coordinating council. Together, they connect professionals to the information they need, such as how to implement an instrument management system.

"We want to respond to the needs of our members and instrument tracking has been a hot topic in our SA online discussions, as well as our SA update meeting at Congress this year," Thomas said.

As manager of central sterile at CJW Medical Center in Richmond, Va., Thomas understands the value of an instrument tracking system that can trace every instrument in use by standardized terminology, but she also stressed that a facility must determine its own needs.

"Not every facility needs to track every instrument, so you need to look at important factors before making a decision, such as how many operating rooms you have, how many destinations the instruments pass through, and available storage areas," she explained, noting the obvious benefits of an instrument management system.

"If you have to transport instruments out of your facility, perhaps to be reprocessed, then an instrument tracking system gives you an idea, in real time, about where your instruments are," Thomas said.

Tracking by case
Being able to easily track instruments by patient cases is another benefit of a tracking system.

Thomas said there is more and more pressure to trace instruments back to specific wash cycles, particularly those instruments used on patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has been much more in the public eye and has caused debate about sterilization. "Being able to track instrument activity from the patient through the wash cycle provides valuable information," she noted.

Tracking instruments by patient cases is one component of the instrument management system used in the sterile processing department at The Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colo. The system uses barcodes and a tracking dot, which are placed on each instrument to track the path of every instrument.

This system tracks those who have come into contact with the instrument, noted Danielle Lucero, CSPDT, the facility's manager of sterile processing.  "If we have a recall, the barcode system allows us to track that instrument directly back to the case and the patient," Lucero said.

Documenting needs
Being able to go into an instrument management system to bring up how often an instrument set was used in the past year is also a valuable benefit of Lucero's facility instrument management system. "As we look at what instrument sets we need to purchase more of, we have documentation to justify our needs that we can share with administration," she stressed.

Internally, Lucero also uses her instrument management system to track staff productivity, because each sterile processing employee logs into the system and their system ID is tracked to every interaction they have with instruments, from decontamination to filling case orders. The system even tracks how much time is spent on each step. "With these measurements I can go back into the system, gather reports and look at ways to streamline workflow," she said.

Thomas agreed that instrument management systems can help facilities improve productivity. "Say an instrument has been misplaced. With an electronic tracking system we can search for the instrument electronically," Thomas explained. "We are up against productivity deadlines every day, and every minute counts so even two minutes staff can spare without an interruption or searching is time better spent."

Finding what works
Thomas reiterated the need for each facility to determine its specific needs before seeking out a system to meet those needs. Having a clear goal will help when connecting with others who have instrument management systems in place.

This is the advice members of the SP/MM SA recently gave to Kathryn Ammon, RN, BS, CNOR, team leader/project manager for surgical services at Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Ind. Part of Ammon's role is to address quality and process improvement in her facility's sterilization department, which currently relies on memory or paper to manage instrument inventory.

"Too much of our instrument inventory knowledge is in the instrument specialist's head," Ammon explained, adding that her facility currently does not have a specific naming pattern for instruments, which are grouped only by functional category.

She said determining the need for an instrument management system was the easy part, but determining which system would work at her facility was much more difficult. To gather input on different systems other facilities use, Ammon posted a question on the SP/MM SA online community of practice discussion board. She received several responses from members explaining what they liked about their systems.

In addition to settling on an instrument management system to fit the needs of your facility, Thomas also stresses the challenges associated with implementing a system and training staff on how to use it.

"Members of our SA can share this kind of knowledge and help their colleagues troubleshoot concerns to improve practice-that is invaluable and we want to make sure we continue to foster this kind of networking within our SA," Thomas added.

Reaching out
Thomas and her SA coordinating council members are planning to send out welcome letters to introduce new members of the council and to reiterate how to use the SA's online community of practice.

"We have a solid council again this year with each member bringing knowledge, experience, and resources to the sterile processing and materials management community, which will be a great benefit to our members," Thomas noted.

Learn more about AORN's Specialty Assemblies. Log on to the SA's online community of practice and select the Sterile Processing/Materials Management SA.

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