THETA Chapter Report

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THETA Chapter October Newsletter 2010-2011

Membership:

I want to congratulate all of you for renewing your CSAO membership. Theta has 107 members. Please check with your fellow colleagues and if they have not joined please encourage them to join. If you have not renewed, please do so ASAP. The membership form is available on the CSAO website at www.csao.net.

The CSAO conference was attended by many delegates from the Theta chapter. The speakers were excellent and the executive took advantage of everyone being there by holding a meeting to plan the upcoming year. The PowerPoint presentations will be posted on the CSAO website so those who could not attend can at least read the presentations.
The new executive started their two-year term at the conference. Nancy Aelick is our Theta chapter representative on the CSAO executive and her role is Director of Education, shared with Denise Bosnjak from Delta chapter.

THETA Education Session and Meeting:

The first session was attended by 55 people at 24 sites which was less than last year. Colleen Landers presented Information on why reprocessing technicians must be educated and certified. All session are archived with OTN so if you want to view the session contact OTN. Our next sessions are listed below. Please contact Nancy Aelick at naelick@sjgh.ca if your site is not registered.

November 3rd Validation of Ultrasonic Machines
February 9th 2011- Temperature and Humidity Controls
April 6th 2011 – Bed Pan Washers - Validation and requirements?

Please make sure you plan to attend. According to PIDAC, you need documented in service and education yearly and these sessions qualify for education.

CSA Standards:

 Four new standards are available:

Z314.15-10 - Warehousing and Storage
Z314.10.1-10 - Selection and Use of Gowns, Drapes and Wrappers in Health Care Facilities (covers single-use and reusable)
Z314.10.2-10 - Laundering, Maintenance and Preparation of Multiple-use Gowns, Drapes and Wrappers in Health Care Facilities (covers reusable)
Z314.14 - 10 - Selection and use of rigid sterilization containers
Z314.22- 10 - Loaners

Many hospitals still have old copies of the Z314.8-08 Decontamination published the end of 2008 and Z314.3-09 Steam Sterilization published April 2009, so check your copy date. If it's old, please re-order as many changes have occurred.
The Flash document standard has been removed and incorporated in the Z314.3 so check your OR to see if they know that the old standard is not longer valid, as requirements have changed for flashing. The extended cycle chart approved for Z314.3 was missed but will be sent out as an addendum. The approved chart is as follows:

Many hospitals I visit do not have reprocessing policies and procedures, or if they do they are 10 years old and have never been updated. Hospitals that reprocess must have current policies and procedures for all reprocessing practices as this will be required for 2010 accreditation and mandated in the Ministry of Health PIDAC Best Practices, Feb 2010. As Reprocessing managers and employees check your policies and procedures and write new ones using the CSA standards and PIDAC.

Gauze or gauze products such as 4x4, 2x2, 4x3, prep balls, kling, softroll, elastoplasts bandage, etc. cannot be steam sterilized. AAMI ST79 states clearly that gauze products cannot be sterilized.

The methods and means being used for the sterilization of bandaging mater­ials must satisfy the following requirements: to provide the destruction of all microorganisms, among them those resistant to sterilizing agents, sterilization where necessary of production in a packaged form so as to cause no deterioration of fundamental properties and the commercial form of the materials, to permit the sterilization of the greater part of production in a single action, and to in­crease automation. Not all the methods for sterilization satisfy the given requirements equally. The general need to wet the material being sterilized and subsequent treat­ment make this method completely unsuitable for sterilizing bandaging materials in hospitals.

Some years ago a Listeriosis outbreak was traced to gauze product imported from China as "Sterile". The product was being processed in hospital steam sterilizers using standard hospital cycles. The product was not validated "Sterile" but was labelled as such. It was deemed that hospitals lack the wherewithal to properly validate the sterilization of such material and hence the prohibition in ST 79 against processing gauze products.

If you practice placing these products on trays or packs or in packages stop this process immediately as they cannot be steam sterilized. Also q-tips and tongue depressors cannot be steam sterilized as wood cannot be steam sterilized. I have also found cork and sponge being steam sterilized and again this cannot be performed.

CS Week:

 CS Week runs from October 17-23. Plan to distribute posters and maybe hold an open house to advertise the importance of your department and staff. The CSAO website has downloadable posters.

Newsletters:

All CSAO newsletters and Theta chapter newsletters are sent by e-mail now. Many members do not have e-mail so please print this information and post in your department. For those of you who have not sent in e-mail please see if you can provide an address. Your manager will allow you to use their e-mail to receive information or use a friend's account -- otherwise you will miss important information.

Theta Chapter Education Day: North Bay, May 13-14 - Holiday Inn Express

Agenda:

May 13th - Hospitality Suite
May 14th - Stress in MDRD / Kier Surgical 
                 - Ophthamalic instruments / Tass-Baush&Lomb
                 - Quality Assurance Program / Michelle Bellefeuille
                 - Design of MDRD CSA Z8000 / Colleen Landers
                 - Problem Solving MDRD? Wrapping/Loading Sterilizer/Wet Packs / Steris

Registration is free for 2010 Theta Members.
Non-members or CSAO Members from other chapters: $35 fee.
Please Plan to attend. Vendors booths will be available for view.

President: Colleen Landers, 388 Ross Street East , Timmins , Ontario P4N 5X3;  (705) 267-3048; E-mail: landers@ntl.sympatico.ca

Vice President: Michelle Bellefeuille, 969 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2C4; 705-759-3434 #5286; E-mail:  BellefeuilleM@sah.on.ca

Treasurer: Nicole Robinson, West Nipissing General Hospital, 725 Coursol Rd., Sturgeon Falls, ON P2B 2Y6; Tel: (705) 753-3110 ext 265; Fax: (705) 753-0210; E-mail: nicole.robinson@wngh.ca

Education: Nancy Aelick, 70 Spine Road, Elliot Lake, Ontario P5A 1X2; 705-848-7182 ext 2248; naelick@sjgh.ca

Secretary: Tammy Bennardo, 83 Grandville Crescent, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 5P8; (705) 254-2786,  705-759-3434 #5286; E-mail: bennardot@sah.on.ca

See you all on November 4th by OTN so place it on your calendar and attend.