Learner objectives:

  • Explore strategies for developing policies congruent with regulatory and accreditation standards.
  • Explain how AAMI and ANSI can inform policy and practice across a facility.
  • Describe the patient and staff safety implications when device reprocessing policy complies with federal and national standards and guidelines.
  • Discuss challenges infection preventionists can face when ensuring that standards and guidelines inform device reprocessing policy.

Session Summary:

Medical device reprocessing policy is developed, implemented and overseen by infection preventionists (IPs). Developing these policies can be difficult when medical technologies, such as ultrasound probes, are used across multiple health delivery settings and departments. Ensuring evidence-based practices are implemented in line with federal and national standards and guidelines is paramount to both patient and staff safety, and to facility risk and quality management.

This session will review key considerations and strategies for IPs developing policies in compliance with federal and national standards and guidelines. Practical knowledge about their development and audit will be presented from the perspective of an expert in the regulatory and accreditation standards. The ANSI/AAMI national standards will also be reviewed, including the collaborative approach to their development and how they can support IPs in practice decision making. Attendees will leave this session armed with frameworks and practical strategies for developing ultrasound probe and device reprocessing policies for patient safety.

Speaker:

Lisa Waldowski, DNP, CIC

Lisa Waldowski, DNP, RN, CIC is an expert Infection Prevention and Control and nurse consultant with nearly 30 years experience in the healthcare industry. As a Principal Consultant with TiER1 Healthcare, she worked with hospitals and health system clients to assess their current state of compliance and provide recommendations toward achieving safe, quality care. Prior to joining TiER1 Healthcare, Lisa was the Director of Infection Prevention at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mt. Sinai. Previously, she spent five years as an Infection Prevention and Control Specialist (Enterprise-Wide) with The Joint Commission. In this role, she provided hospital and ambulatory surveyor education and support for IC-related findings. She also served as an expert resource for TJC, delivering presentations and education on IC Standards and National Patient Safety Goals to surveyors, accredited organizations, and professional organizations nationwide, and authoring Joint Commission’s High-level Disinfection and Sterilization BoosterPak™. Lisa recently joined Kaiser Permanente Washington as their Regional Director of Infection Prevention and Control.

Damien Berg, BA, BS, CRCST, AAMIF

Damien Berg, BA, BS, CRCST, AAMIF is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for IAHCSMM. Berg is an IAHCSMM Past-President of the board of Directors (2018-2019) and a veteran Sterile Processing leader who most recently served as regional manager for UC Health in Northern Colorado. He has over 28 years of Sterile Processing and OR experience serving in multiple roles SPD Tech, SPD Manager, SPD Director, Scrub Tech, GI Tech, and Combat Medic where he served 21 years and retired as a Master Sergeant. He has a degree in Business Administration and Management and extensive experience working closely with healthcare organization leadership and for various regulatory bodies and standards making groups such as the American National Standards Institute and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (ANSI/AAMI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). He is an International speaker and Sterile Processing representative on a global scale, such as at chapter events, legislative/advocacy meetings and numerous conferences (including the World Federation where he serves as an executive committee member). Additionally, he has spent many years as chair of the IAHCSMM Advocacy Committee.

Daniel Lightfoot, PhD

Daniel Lightfoot is the Medical Director of the Americas for Nanosonics.  He received his doctorate in Developmental Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, researching aberrant genetic contributions and their effect on stem cell and early embryonic initiation and development.  He continued his research at The Scripps Research Institute, but focusing on fetal organ development, specifically fetal brain formation and cephalic cellular differentiation. After leaving academic research, Daniel has held a lab director position in a hospital, science director roles for various disease state organizations that include mammalian cloning, autism, rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases and as a medical director within the pharmaceutical industry.