Faulty reprocessing of endoscopes between patients can cause biological debris to be retained. Microbes can survive and reproduce in these environments, which can result in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). In addition, residual reprocessing materials, like chemical disinfectants, can cause other adverse outcomes, like tissue irritation (U.S. Food & Drug Administration [FDA], 2022b).
This course discusses the essential steps for ensuring that flexible endoscopes are safe for patient use, factors that affect the quality of reprocessing, and the consequences of faulty reprocessing. It is applicable to sterile processing (SP) professionals working in various types of healthcare facilities where endoscopy reprocessing occurs.
The goal of this course is to equip sterile processing professionals with the knowledge needed for reprocessing flexible endoscopes.