There is no bone in Central Sterile. There is no flesh in Central Sterile. There is no blood in Central Sterile. Everything that arrives came from somewhere else.


 There is no bone in Central Sterile. There is no flesh in Central Sterile. There is no blood in Central Sterile. Everything that arrives came from somewhere else.


What would happen if both partners were held to the same standard? Now, I understand the argument. Central Sterile is responsible for removing bioburden, and that is true. That is their job, and they own it. But our partners in the OR are also responsible for removing those things at the point of use. Before the cement hardens. Before the blood dries. Before someone in decon has to scrub it off and risk injury doing what could have been handled easily minutes earlier.
I've also heard the second check argument. The tray goes from decon to assembly, and the person in assembly is responsible for inspecting and catching anything left behind. That is true as well. But that second check doesn't remove responsibility at the point of use. It means Central Sterile has two people catching what one person was supposed to handle. That is not shared accountability. That is one partner absorbing the other partner's gap.
And I understand, our partners in the OR are busy. So are the partners in Central Sterile. Busy does not change what is right.
Here is what I keep coming back to. In Central Sterile, bioburden gets documented for KPIs, and disciplinary actions are attached to those KPIs. In the OR, bioburden gets documented for KPIs too, but it often stops there. Numbers on a page. Same tray. Same bioburden. Same patient. Different accountability.

I'm not pointing fingers. I'm asking us to think about something. What would happen if both partners were held to the same standard? Same blood. Same bone. Same consequences. Would we see fewer trays going back to the OR with bioburden? Fewer delayed cases? Fewer canceled cases? Less rework?
Would we start to see two departments operate as one team sharing the same accountability?

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