To avoid cross contamination of infectious pathogens, endoscopes and their associated accessories are cleaned and disinfected or sterilized (reprocessed) between each patient use. Failure to properly reprocess endoscopes and accessories could potentially expose patients to bloodborne pathogens and harmful bacteria, which may result in serious patient injury or death. Often, these exposures affect large numbers of patients who must be notified of the potential risk and may need to return to the facility for testing. Patient notification of endoscopy-related cross contamination or suspected contamination can be challenging when appropriate identifying information associating a specific endoscope with a specific patient is not captured. Between 2004 and 2009, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority received 107 reports describing potential patient contamination due to inadequate or improper endoscope reprocessing techniques. Of the 107 reports, 62 made reference to potentially contaminated endoscopes being used on patients, while the remainder described potentially contaminated endoscopes getting to the patient (e.g., surgical field), but not used, or lacked information to determine patient involvement. To reduce the likelihood of cross contamination, healthcare facilities need to consider developing and adhering to comprehensive, model-specific reprocessing protocols.
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