Managing Endoscopes

How Patients Are Being Coached To Question Their Hospital’s Scope Cleaning Practices

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

With the numerous reports coming out lately about the difficulty in cleaning endoscopes and ensuring complete disinfection, the mainstream media has started to coach patients on how to select a hospital that’s right for their scope-related procedures. With the concern for scope safety increasing every day, facilities must now prepare to answer tough questions about […]

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Caught In The Act: Can You Stop Dirty Scopes From Being Stored With Your Clean Scopes?

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Your hospital has a great set of processes and protocols in place when it comes to reprocessing your flexible endoscopes. You even have a great system for logging clean scopes in and out of your scope storage areas. You believe that your staff are properly trained, re-certified and

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Study Shows Bronchoscopes Still Dirty After Reprocessing

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A new study has shown that flexible bronchoscopes that were reprocessed according to institutional standards at several US hospitals were still found to be dirty in a majority of the cases. The study was presented at the 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Conference. The study on bronchoscopes now joins other recent studies

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The 4 Steps Of An Endoscope Risk Assessment

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Flexible endoscopes continue to make headlines due to the risk of infection stemming from their use on patients. Many hospitals find themselves in the unenviable position of determining how they can perform critical endoscope-based procedures while minimizing the risk of infection. There is ample evidence showing that endoscopes can spread life-threatening illnesses when not properly

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Infection Rates From Colonoscopies Greatly Exceed Prior Estimates

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins reveals that colonoscopies performed at ambulatory surgery centers lead to post-procedure infection rates that greatly surpass previous estimates. The study, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, studied the results of colonoscopies and upper-GI endoscopies (EGDs) performed

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ASGE Releases New Infection Control Guidelines For Endoscopy

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recently released guidelines for infection control during GI endoscopy and related procedures. The guidelines come at a time when reports of endoscope-related infections are becoming more prevalent in the media. While the overall incidences of such infections are rarely reported, there is a strong possibility of underreporting of adverse

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FDA Issues Warning On Multi-Patient Endoscope Connectors

Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a public alert that warned about the risk of cross-contamination from the use of certain endoscope connectors commonly seen in gastrointestinal endoscopy. The alert primarily points out the risks associated with the use of 24-hour multi-patient use endoscope connectors that are labeled for use with multiple

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Hospitals Still Struggle To Combat Infectious Bacteria In Their Scopes

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

Recent research has once again shined the spotlight on the struggle hospitals face to rid their reusable medical endoscopes of dangerous bacteria. In this particular study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, 71% of “patient-ready” scopes at 3 major US hospitals tested positive for bacteria. The study found problems in various types of

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Duodenoscope Surveillance Protocols Released By FDA and CDC

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Society for Microbiology (ASM), along with other endoscope culturing experts, recently announced the availability of voluntary, standardized protocols that were developed for duodenoscope surveillance sampling and culturing. As noted by the FDA: “Hospitals and health care facilities that utilize

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Accreditation Firms Like Joint Commission Receive Further Scrutiny From Congress

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Following the publication of a Wall Street Journal article last year, hospital accreditation organizations have received unwanted attention from the US Government. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have requested additional information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and 4 major hospital accreditation organizations regarding their processes. Concerned with CMS’

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