Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 28 TSC 681 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
The Decontamination Area
The idea
The decontamination area is the part of central processing where used, contaminated items are received, sorted and cleaned.
In practice
Learn how the area is arranged, as the federal disinfection guideline describes it. First, central processing is ideally divided into at least three areas: decontamination, packaging, and sterilization and storage. Second, physical barriers separate the decontamination area from the other sections, to keep contamination contained. Third, the airflow is designed to keep contaminants inside the decontamination area and away from the clean areas. Fourth, the floors and walls are built from materials that withstand cleaning chemicals. Fifth, after cleaning, items move one way, to the packaging area, where they are inspected, assembled and packaged.
Where people slip
The layout follows the same principle as the operating room: work moves from dirty to clean, never back. A clean item carried back into the decontamination area is contaminated again.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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