The countdown has begun for the Central Sterilising Club's Annual Scientific Meeting, which takes place next week at the Crowne Plaza, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 3-4 April 2023.
The event will provide an excellent learning opportunity for all those involved in decontamination. With a focus on extending knowledge and improving practice, this year’s event promises to provide a platform for discussion around the key challenges ahead.
One of the many highlights includes a thought-provoking discussion by Neil Alexander, from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB). He will look at the key findings, lessons to be learnt and recommendations from the HSIB’s high-profile investigation into the decontamination of surgical instruments.
A report by the HSIB warned that there is “no national picture of the scale of the problem of dirty instruments arriving in operating theatres for use on patients”. It called for the reporting of such incidents, better training and competency assessment, changes to governance, and improvements to the design of surgical instruments. The investigation followed an incident in which ‘black material’ was seen coming out of the end of a surgical instrument. This was later confirmed to be dried blood and, as a result, the patient had to be tested for bloodborne viruses.
Patient safety is always a top priority for decontamination teams and, with this at the forefront, the programme will discuss human factors in decontamination. Mitigating risk and understanding how human errors can occur is vital to improving safety and to reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections.
Other highlights include:
- A debate on: "This house believes that manufacturer’s instructions are restrictive and detrimental to instrument reprocessing”.
- Clinical perspectives on mobile endoscopy.
- Mobile treatment units – essential quality requirements or best practice?
- “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”: Not so well known risk factors in dental instrument and equipment decontamination.
The event carries 14 CPD points for the two days. To view the full programme, visit: https://centralsterilisingclub.org/events/
