October 14, 2022
Beccy Roden, a patient partner at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) had the opportunity to tour the Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR) Department in September. As an Accreditation Tracer participant, Roden had the chance to speak directly with various members of the MDR team and learn about their policies and procedures.
Roden is a patient partner who has had multiple surgeries at LHSC. “With all the different surgeries I’ve had, to see that area of the hospital was really neat,” says Roden.
The MDR department is responsible for the decontamination, sterilization and organization of thousands of medical devices used for aseptic procedures for more than one million patients in Southwestern Ontario each year.
Upon touring the MDR, she surmises it as the backbone of the hospital. “MDR is the heartbeat of everything that goes on at LHSC, because without the MDR, we wouldn’t have any surgeries at all,” Roden believes.
The MDR team plays a vital role in providing exceptional health care. Their goal is to remain behind the scenes while providing clinical partners with all the necessary instruments to seamlessly deliver patient care.
Roden had the chance to see each step in the MDR process from the trays arriving from the different areas and being cleaned, to the assembly of new trays and the sterilization of the equipment. “It’s so important. I was amazed at the process and how well organized they are,” she says. “The professionalism of everyone there and how focused they were on their roles was impressive,” she recalls.
Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the MDR team is comprised of over 120 highly-skilled technicians across two campuses. The department reprocesses over 25,000 medical devices each day to facilitate the safe and effective execution of nearly 100 life-changing surgeries, and for more than 30 specialized outpatient clinics.
The size of the area impressed Roden, but she was most impressed by the team members. “They have great pride in what they were doing,” she says.
Suzanne Schwab, Manager of the MDR, agrees. “Our teams take great pride in the service they provide to our patients and staff. They are constantly working to provide the best and safest care possible from involvement in continuous improvement projects to safety and educational training.”
This week, Roden is helping celebrate the MDR team by joining them at their booth at University Hospital.