CH 07: Decontamination: Point-of-Use Preparation and Transport

Goals of Point-of-Use Prep & Transport

Removal of gross soil. Prevention of damage. Prevention of cross contamination. Keeping others safe.

Point-of-Use Preparation

Instrument preparation begins at the point of use.

Point-of-Use Preparation Guidelines

Remove gross soil. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for point-of-use cleaning and preparation. Separate reusable sharps from other instruments. Separate reusable linen. Remove disposable components. Open hinged instruments, disassemble multi-part instruments and place them in trays. Heavy: bottom, Light: top, Cords, Scopes, Cameras: Very top. Keep items together. (Sets, multi-part items)

Continued..

Keep instruments moist and prevent soil from drying on their surface. Use foams, gels, sprays, or a moist towel. Limit the time kept in a soak basin or solution to prevent instrument damage.  Empty fluids from contaminated device containers using facility protocols. Remove, contain, or separate third-party reprocessing items and send to CS, per facility protocols. For reusable instruments used in a case with CJD notify CS and Infection Prevention Control. Follow hospital procedures. Notify CS: Items needing repair. Tag them to remove them from the system. Notify CS: Items requiring turnover/turnaround.

Transport of Soiled Items

Transport soiled instruments in enclosed carts. (Preferred) Open Carts: Must have a solid bottom/ cover cart during transport. Don't place metal trays/containers on top of plastic trays/containers. Don't use containers/carts transporting contaminated items to transport clean and sterile items. (Unless the cart is decontaminated between uses)

Education and Training

AAMI recomends practices for transporting contaminated items. Procedures should also reflect OSHA regulations. AORN provides additional information.​​​​​​​