LHSC Implements State–of–the–Art Medical Instrument Tracking System

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release:
October 20, 2008

(LONDON, Ontario) – Did you know that the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) at London Health Sciences Centre sterilizes over 12,000 medical instruments every day?

On October 21, 2008, LHSC’s SPD will be the first in Canada to implement Censitrac software which will track medical instruments at the individual instrument level – a rare practice in Canadian hospitals.

The new state-of-the-art instrument management system will track instruments and validate sterilization procedures as instruments move through the cycle of being used and then cleaned, decontaminated, assembled and sterilized for re-use. The new system will promote patient safety through better management of the hospital’s $2.5 million worth of medical instruments.

The media is invited for a guided tour of the Sterile Processing Department. Terry Robb, the manager of the department will be available for interviews to explain the features of the new system.

Date:	Tuesday October 21, 2008
Time:	10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location:	London Health Sciences Centre University Hospital

SIDEBAR FACTS:

LHSC owns medical instruments to the tune of: $2.5 million
Number of pieces of medical instruments owned by LHSC: Over 100,000
The number of medical instruments SPD sterilizes every day: 12,000
The number of medical instruments SPD sterilizes every year: 4,200,000
The number of trays of medical instruments SPD sterilizes every day: 450
Minimum number of hours needed to clean, decontaminate, assemble and sterilize 1 tray of soiled instruments: 4
Types of specialized medical instruments at LHSC include those in the areas of: