---

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Cognition and Mental Health in the SPD: How the Two Collectively Influence Efficiency and Productivity With Sharon Greene-Golden

This session addresses the importance of cognitive and mental health as our professionals work every day to maintain stress levels and stability. Great mental health is needed as we deal with patient safety, while also working to be both efficient and productive.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the importance of good mental and cognitive health in SPD
• Identify two issues that are prevalent: stress and English as a second language
• Explain how to make your SPD a mentally and cognitive healthy environment

Sharon Greene-Golden: With more than 30 years of experience in the Sterile Processing profession—and countless more years serving the industry through her lively, informative and eye-opening speaking engagements and educational presentations—Greene-Golden knows how to engage, captivate and ignite passion in her audiences and staff members. Aside from serving as Sterile Processing manager for Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, she has actively served on numerous boards and committees for the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association and served as President and Past-President on the Association’s Board of Directors (2013-2015). Greene-Golden has presented at national, regional and local HSPA meetings as well as on an international circuit at the Aesculap Academy in Germany, the World Sterilization Congress in Portugal in 2012 and Turkey in 2013, Christchurch, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. She has also authored numerous articles, which have appeared in various healthcare trade publications and peer-reviewed healthcare journals. Greene-Golden is the co-author of “WILD the Pandemic: What I learned during the Pandemic” and the Amazon bestseller, “Speaking My Truth.” In February 2012, she was featured in the TODAY Show segment on “Dirty Surgical Instruments,” serving as a prominent face for the profession, and a Sterile Processing expert who demonstrated the importance of cleaning and processing instruments according to standards, best practices and manufacturer instructions for use. She’s a strong advocate for state-required certification of Sterile Processing professionals, and an outspoken proponent for always doing what’s right, every time, in the name of patient safety. Greene-Golden received the Award of Honor from HSPA in 2018.

 

 

Quality and Safety for Every Patient and Every Worker, Every Time With Cori Ofstead and Krystina Hopkins

Sterile Processing provides a critical foundation for patient safety in medical settings. For many years, Ofstead’s team has emphasized the need to ensure best practices for “every patient, every time,” while keeping an eye on worker safety and health. Now, other stakeholders are recognizing that frontline workers need to be protected and well supported to function optimally. This session features two epidemiologists who will share evidence and perspectives about hot topics in Sterile Processing and worker health. They will cover recent developments regarding COVID-19, superbugs, biofilm, droplet dispersal in decontamination areas, and challenges with endoscopes and probes. Additionally, they will provide scientific evidence on the impact of self-care on wellness and stress levels, including proven benefits of fresh air, exercising and eating dark chocolate. The audience will learn about strategies for leveraging scientific evidence to get the resources they need to ensure quality and safety for every patient and every worker, every time.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss recent trends in infection control and healthcare-associated infections
• Explain why the development of COVID-19 variants shifted the path of the pandemic
• Explain strategies for leveraging science to support resource requests

Cori Ofstead: Ofstead is an epidemiologist with 30 years of experience in designing and conducting real-world studies on instrument processing and infection prevention. Her studies have been published HSPA’s PROCESS magazine and peer-reviewed journals. Ofstead is recognized as a leading educator in endoscope reprocessing and infection control and has spoken at conferences, including HSPA, AORN, APIC, SGNA, ASGE, and CDC. She is an active member of HSPA and a voting member of AAMI Workgroup 84, where she is involved with ST91 (endoscope reprocessing) and TIR99 (ultrasound probes and dilators). She was a contributing author for HSPA’s endoscope reprocessing textbook.

Krystina Hopkins: Hopkins is a research manager with Ofstead & Associates where she leads projects in environmental health, instrument processing, and healthcare cost and quality. She also develops continuing education material to support quality initiatives in infection control. She has an MPH in environmental health and a background in microbiology. Her research has been published in HSPA’s PROCESS magazine and in peer-reviewed journals. She is an active member of HSPA and has over 14 years of research experience. Previously, she performed research management and coordination roles at Medica Research Institute, the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Health.

 

 

---

Time is Running Out: The Importance of Time and Environmental Conditions on Contaminated Instrumentation With Terra Kremer and Jon Wood

This presentation will show the effects of time and environmental conditions on contaminated instrumentation from the point of use until the decontamination process begins, based on recent research findings. In 2021, research was conducted on the solubility of dried soil on reusable medical devices. This cutting-edge investigation supports the scientific justification for point-of-use treatment and provides guidance for environmental conditions and time constraints when transporting soiled surgical instrumentation. 

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how dried soil on surgical instrument promotes the formation of a dry biofilm, which is difficult to remove and more resistant to inactivation by steam sterilization than a hydrated biofilm
• Discuss the research project demonstrating the change in solubility of dried soil on reusable medical devices
• Demonstrate the change in solubility of dried soil on reusable medical devices when exposed to various time, temperature and humidity ranges

Terra Kremer: Kremer is the Senior Program Manager of Microbiological Quality & Sterility Assurance at Johnson & Johnson and provides technical, strategic and leadership support to the Johnson & Johnson Microbiological Quality & Sterility Assurance organization. She is the technical lead of the Device Processing Tiger team, co-sponsors the Johnson & Johnson Device Processing Council and is an active member in both ASTM and AAMI organizations, focusing on standard development for device processing. Kremer is the co-chair of the AAMI WG-95 Water for Reprocessing Committee, and U.S. ISO expert for the development of ISO/TS 5111, Water Quality for Sterilization and Washer Disinfectors. Kremer is an Analytical Chemist with 20 years of experience in laboratory testing of medical device, pharmaceutical and tissue products, and is a PhD candidate for Microbiology.

Jon Wood: Wood serves as a Clinical Educator with HSPA. Prior to his current role, he was with the University of Colorado Health System, serving as a Regulatory and Quality Improvement Specialist in high-level disinfection and sterilization. Wood is also a certified surgical technologist, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas, and served our country as a Naval Corpsman and surgical technologist.