Evaluation and improvement proposal for the sterlization process in one of the hospitals of the Great Metropolitan Area (GMA) in Costa Rica

Resumen

The Sterilization Central of one of the major hospitals in the great metropolitan area, has significant opportunities for improvement, mainly in regards to the definition and measuring effectiveness and optimization of the sterilization processes used in this unit, as well as the process flow used to carry out its sterilization activities in the major instrument families and the operating room supplies (classified by the type and nature of the material they are made of). The project shown in this work specifically intended to address these areas of improvement of the Sterilization Central, and collaborate with proposals for optimizing the process flow followed by the main families of products defined as “high demand” or “critical products” to be sterilized and which in turn allows a logical regulation with engineering and structured bases that leads to an optimal and standard process being safe for the patient, doctors, nurses and staff involved in the sterilization processes. In addition, a strategy for measuring the effectiveness of the sterilization process (mainly of these families, of input and instrumentation), currently used was proposed, in order to determine their effectiveness to achieve the purpose required of sterilizing, as well as the accomplishment of internal regulations of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social from Costa Rica as well as international regulations.