Welcome to the new Outpatient Surgery website! Check out our login FAQs.
High-Tech Instrument Care
Mobile tracking systems, reprocessing upgrades for robotic tools and the emergence of digital technologies are on the horizon.
Hank Balch, CRCST, CER, CIS, CHL
Publish Date: April 18, 2022   |  Tags:   Instrument Reprocessing and Care Robotic Assistance Healthcare IT
Barcode Scanner
NEVER IN DOUBT Barcode-scanning technology allows busy SPD leaders to locate instrumentation during the various stages of the sterilization process.   |   Northwell Health
Top sterile processing departments (SPDs) might not have the ability to dematerialize bioburden with a sci-fi-like laser beam, but the technologies and solutions available to today’s reprocessing techs are becoming smarter, faster and more advanced with each passing day. The impact of these innovations cannot be understated. Cutting-edge technology in SPDs directly impacts the working quality of surgical instrumentation and the life span of the instruments themselves. It also provides desperately needed efficiency for high-volume facilities in the fast-paced world of outpatient surgery.

New to Outpatient Surgery Magazine?
Login or subscribe to continue reading this article
Login or Subscribe

DID YOU SEE THIS?

RELATED ARTICLES
 
Business Advisor: Tray Rationalization Creates Big Savings
Use analytics to right-size the number of instruments in rotation.
Safe and Secure in Steep Trendelenburg
Planning and consistency go a long way toward mitigating risks and preventing unnecessary complications.
Trend to Watch: The Rise of Robotic Hysterectomy
Increased competition among robot manufacturers will boost access to the minimally invasive approach surgeons and patients prefer.
MORE FROM OUTPATIENT SURGERY
Guest Editor: Tangible Benefits
New systems and devices should deliver value-added results and improve overall safety.
 

Whenever it comes time to invest in new technology at our facility, surgeons are generally divided into two groups: Those who use the latest equipment and devices whenever and wherever they can, and those who are more traditional — both younger and more mature individuals — in their approach to surgery. Both groups are very good at what...
Game-Changing Innovations in Anesthesia
Advances in ultrasound, pain pumps and EMR platforms can improve case outcomes and clinical efficiencies.
 

An 84-year-old patient came in for a vision-saving surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, where Tom Durick, MD, works as an anesthesiologist and assistant professor. “He was blind in one eye and trying to regain some sort of vision in his other eye,” says Dr. Durick, noting that this already high-stakes...
Virtual Reality Check
Immersive learning is an innovative way to improve the technical skills and clinical acumen of surgical professionals.
 

There will never be a substitute for the real surgical experience, but the latest virtual reality (VR) modules come close to simulating the sights, sounds and feels of an actual operating room. That’s why facility leaders are turning to VR as a training tool for providers at all phases of the perioperative spectrum. Let’s look at how...