Instrument care begins in the procedure room

Effective instrument cleaning begins before the tray reaches SPD.

Point-of-use treatment helps prevent blood, tissue, and other organic material from drying on instruments. During the procedure, gross soil should be removed and lumens managed according to the applicable manufacturer's instructions for use. At the end of the case, instruments should be prepared for transport, kept appropriately moist, and moved to decontamination in a closed, properly marked container.

Why it matters

When soil dries, cleaning becomes more difficult. Improper handling can also damage delicate devices, increase sharps risks, and create additional work in decontamination.

SPD cannot fully correct every problem that happens before a tray arrives. Safe reprocessing depends on every team completing its part of the process correctly.

3 things to know

• Keep instruments appropriately moist. Point-of-use care helps prevent blood and other organic material from drying before decontamination.
• Protect instruments and employees. Protect sharps and handle hinged, multipart, and delicate instruments properly during transport.
• Document recurring problems. Track repeated issues so leaders can identify patterns and improve the process.

From the real world

A quality-improvement initiative presented at the 2026 AORN Global Surgical Conference showed how collaboration between OR and SPD can address contaminated surgical trays.

Northeast Georgia Health System focused on shared expectations, consistent workflows, communication, and accountability. The initiative connected instrument contamination with patient safety, case delays, OR efficiency, and patient and surgeon satisfaction.

The takeaway: instrument processing is a shared workflow. Meaningful improvement requires OR and SPD to solve problems together.

Leadership takeaway

Departments need more than reminders to "inspect carefully." Leaders should define what technicians must inspect, provide the right tools, establish clear removal-from-service procedures, and ensure reported problems reach the correct clinical, repair, or manufacturer contact. Strong inspection depends on a strong system.

Expert section: is sterile processing a good career?

For the right person, sterile processing is a genuinely good career: stable, in-demand, hands-on, meaningful, and a real ladder into higher-paying healthcare roles — with a low cost and time barrier to entry.

But "you can get in fast" isn't the same as "it's a good career." The work can be physically demanding, the starting pay is modest, and the job requires precision and consistency. For people who value behind-the-scenes work where details matter, however, it can be a strong path into healthcare. — Terry Scott, CRCST, CHL, CIS, CER, Co-Founder & Instructor, Aseptic Technical Solutions

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