(3) Inventory of equipment should be performed daily or semiweekly.
Frequency depends upon the volume of work, amount of equipment, and the storage
area available within CMS.
(4) During the daily inventory of sterile stock, all sterile supplies must be
checked for outdated items. Any item that becomes outdated or contaminated must be
disassembled and reprocessed. Determination of maximum shelf life, the time a sterile
package may be kept in storage, depends on many factors. These factors include:
(a) Conditions of storage, such as cleanliness, closed or open
cabinets, temperature and humidity, and controlled traffic.
(b) Material used for packaging, usually muslin, paper, or plastic.
(c)
Seal of the package, tape or heat-sealed.
(d) Integrity of the package, if it has been punctured, torn, damaged, or
has absorbed moisture.
NOTE:
All of these factors will be covered in detail in Lesson 3.
(5) It is expensive to resterilize items; some types of items deteriorate with
repeated sterilization. To avoid or decrease the number of items that become outdated,
you must rotate the stock of sterile supplies. Rotation of stock means using the older
supplies first so that the stock will not become outdated. As you inventory sterile
supplies, the older items are moved to the front of the storage area so that they will be
used first. Rotating the stock will lower the costs of resterilization and deterioration of
supplies.
b. All supplies and equipment are uncrated prior to receipt in CMS in order to
prevent as much debris and dust as possible from entering the CMS.
c. No shipping cartons are brought into the CMS. Upon receipt, supplies and
equipment are checked by CMS personnel for quality and quantity. Before new
technical equipment is delivered to CMS, it is inspected and tested for serviceability and
safety by the medical maintenance section. New equipment as well as equipment
repaired by medical maintenance is checked by CMS personnel before it is accepted by
CMS.
Section V. MAINTENANCE AND CLEANLINESS (HOUSEKEEPING)
2-9.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF SUPPLIES
a. It is the responsibility of supervisory personnel to ensure that CMS supplies
are used properly and economically and that equipment is operated and maintained in
accordance with the prescribed directions.
MD0937
2-12