Endoscope Reprocessing

This is a podcast episode titled, Endoscope Reprocessing. The summary for this episode is: <p> </p> <p>In this episode of Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI Institute, we're talking with two ECRI Institute experts about endoscope reprocessing.</p> <p>Inadequate reprocessing of flexible endoscopes led to 30,000 patients being called for follow-up testing between 2005 and 2012, according to <a href= "https://www.beckersasc.com/gi-a-endoscopy-driven-surgery-centers-to-know-2013/5-big-endoscope-reprocessing-risks-in-ascs-how-to-avoid-them.html"> one estimate</a>. Contaminated endoscopes can spread infections like HIV and hepatitis B and C, and even in the absence of an outbreak, media coverage of a recall can damage the facility's reputation.</p> <p>ECRI Institute's James Davis and Jackie Ferenschak discuss why endoscopes are difficult to reprocess effectively and strategies for helping staff succeed.</p> <p>In ECRI’s <a href= "https://www.ecri.org/top-ten-tech-hazards">Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2019</a>, we identified mishandling flexible endoscopes after disinfection on the list as a potential source of danger that we believe warrants attention. Members of the Healthcare Risk Control and PSO Plus programs can login to see our <a href= "https://www.ecri.org/components/HRC/Pages/InfecCon16.aspx">complete guidance</a> on endoscope reprocessing.</p>