Seminar processing of sterile goods - Block 7 - Regulations and Prevention

Process risks and their consequences in the area of sterile goods reprocessing". 

Target group: Works councils, hygiene officers and hygiene personnel 

Seminar objective: Recognition of process risks in the sterile processing chain for the installation of preventive measures in occupational health and safety regulations, operational procedures, and prevention of nosocomial infections (NI) and the spread of multi-resistant pathogens (MRE) through consistent risk management in the sterile processing chain.

According to the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG), the works council has special responsibilities in occupational health and safety, which are implemented in operating instructions, occupational health and safety regulations, and, if necessary, company agreements. By regularly monitoring compliance with the installed protective measures and checking their effectiveness, the works council learns at an early stage of any malfunctions in operational processes. 

The central objective in hospitals is to reduce nosocomial infections and prevent the spread of multi-resistant pathogens to the unavoidable minimum by consistently and sustainably implementing infection protection and hygiene quality. In particular, the increased requirements for structural and process quality, more comprehensive planning and documentation obligations of hospitals, cross-sector infection prevention, stricter reporting obligations and monitoring by the public health service mean that tasks for hygiene managers in hospitals and clinics are becoming increasingly complex. 

Knowledge of process risks in the sterile processing chain enables the derivation of strategies and individual measures for the prevention of NI and the spread of MRE. Therefore, the works council as well as those responsible for hygiene in hospitals have an important function in the implementation of measures to ensure patient safety by minimizing potential hazards and process risks in sterile processing. 

Using practical examples, our speaker Ralf Kurzrock will work out with you how workflows in the sterile processing chain can be designed safely and which protective measures can be derived from this. Quality criteria for assessing the existing hygiene measures will be defined and recommendations for action for integration into the existing occupational safety measures, operating regulations and finally into the operating procedures of the sterile processing chain as well as the hygiene process will be shown.