Monitoring and Quality Control in Endoscope Reprocessing

The patient’s endoscope reprocessing and quality control and/or infection prevention plan is assessed by the facility. Most hospitals and other healthcare centers use endoscopes in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, owing to their intricate structure, they easily get infected if not cleaned well.

Thus, the issue of effective monitoring and quality control in the process of endoscope reprocessing can be considered critical. She needs to make sure that every endoscope is cleaned, disinfected and sterilized to avoid situations where patients are infected with diseases from the equipment, they were in contact with. This can only be done through an interdisciplinary approach where implementation of high standards, policies and procedures formulated by the regulatory bodies and professional associations are followed.

On the same note, The Joint Commission that is an independent healthcare standard setting organization requires that health care organizations establish and enforce a quality control program for endoscope reprocessing. This program should contain measures on cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing of endoscopes together with checking and evaluating the efficiency of the reprocessing process. These activities also require them to make proper documentation of all the reprocessing activities done with the details of the date, time and any results got in the cycle.

Another considerable feature of controlled inspection and monitoring in Endoscope Camera procedure is the application of biological indicators and chemical indicators. Culture media contain viable microorganisms that cannot be killed by sterilization process and are incorporated in BIs to check the adequacy of the sterilization process. CIs on the other hand are employed to confirm that specific chemicals or conditions required for sterilization are present. He has to use these indicators as recommended by the manufacturer and make the right interpretation of the results in order to achieve desired results in reprocessing of equipment.

Thus, in regard to infection prevention, healthcare facilities should also perform periodic EM to identify possible sources of contamination apart from BIs and CIs. It could also involve swabbing of surfaces, equipment and human body to determine areas that have to be deeply cleansed or disinfected. They should also maintain a check on the temperature and humidity and other conditions which affects the reprocessing of catheters.

Another important aspect of M&QC is staff qualification, basic and continuous training of the personnel involved in the process of endoscope reprocessing. Lastly, it is the responsibility of healthcare facilities to make sure that every individual that handles the process of endoscope reprocessing has undergone proper training in the right use of the equipment, protocol on cleaning and disinfection as well as sterilization. They also must also show proficiency in these areas on a test and assessment basis on a regular basis.

Thus, in the final analysis, both monitoring and quality control should and must be considered as part and parcel of the process of endoscope reprocessing. Through the effective methods of quality control such as using the biological and chemical indicators, environmental monitoring and personnel competency, the infections transmission can be controlled hence protecting the patient. Thus, they should stay Alert and engaged to provide the highest standard quality services in reprocessing these endoscopes safety.