SPE Z1003 IMPLEMENTATION HANDBOOK

Purpose This handbook is intended to be a comprehensive guideline for medical device reprocessing (MDR) in a variety of community health care settings (e.g., dental, surgi-centre, and physicians' offices). However, it is not meant to replace the use of available MDR standards and guidelines (see Annex B). In recent years, a number of infection prevention and control issues related to MDR have been developing outside of hospitals. They include - A trend to performing various medical and surgical procedures in outpatient clinics and in the offices of physicians and other health professionals. The oversight of the reprocessing of devices used in these areas is often much less than it would be within a hospital-based setting. - An increasing awareness on the part of clients/patients regarding both the emergence of new infections such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), H1N1 influenza A, and Clostridium difficile, as well as a number of well-publicized reprocessing failures. Such events remind us of how important it is to ensure that safe practices are followed in all clinical settings in order to prevent the spread of infections to our clients and staff. The importance of infection prevention and control and the role that MDR plays cannot be overemphasized. The impact of a transmitted infectious disease can be both individually devastating and socially costly. Health care and service providers are responsible for ensuring that the patient or client is not put at risk when reusable medical devices are used during their care.