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The Joint Commission Issues New Quick Safety Advisory on Managing Packaged Sterile Supplies and Devices

Guidance to Keep Patients Safe From Expired or Compromised Supplies and Devices Tuesday, June 28, 2022

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Katie Bronk
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(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, June 28, 2022) – Managing commercially prepared sterile supplies and devices can be challenging for healthcare organizations. A new Quick Safety advisory from The Joint Commission, “Managing packaged sterile supplies and devices,” provides guidance to keep patients safe from infection and other potential harm from expired or compromised supplies and devices.

“Over the past few years, we have found that many healthcare professionals do not have the proper training to recognize if packaged sterile supplies are appropriate for use,” says Diane Cullen, RN, MSN, MBA, CIC, associate director, Standards Interpretation Group, The Joint Commission. “This is concerning because the packaging includes many symbols which represent critical information about how the item should be used, stored and reprocessed. We hope the new Quick Safety advisory will bring this very relevant patient safety concern to the front of mind.”

The advisory urges healthcare professionals to pay close attention to device labels. Manufacturers of certain medical devices and products must include labeling on or with their devices, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Joint Commission requires that organizations follow the manufacturer’s written instructions for use (IFU) to ensure the end-user understands how to use, clean, disinfect, reprocess and store medical devices.

Additionally, the advisory encourages healthcare professionals to follow a hierarchical approach to infection prevention for packaged sterile supplies and devices. This approach includes following rules and regulations first, followed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) requirements, manufacturer’s IFU, and evidence-based guidelines and national standards.

Safety actions outlined in the advisory include educating staff to:

  • Recognize the labeling used for supplies and devices, including the stand-alone symbols and their meanings. 
  • Follow the hierarchical approach to infection prevention for packaged sterile supplies and devices.
  • Recognize when a commercially prepared sterile medical device would be inappropriate to use. 
  • Know where to find information specific to an IFU should a question or concern be identified.

Healthcare organizations may also want to provide posters and other graphic devices as quick references to the meanings of any stand-alone symbols.

The full Quick Safety advisory, including additional considerations and resources, is available on The Joint Commission website. It may be reproduced if credited to The Joint Commission.

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About The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

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