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Ambulatory association emphasizes sterilizer testing

OSHA Healthcare Connection, October 7, 2005

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The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) reminds facilities about the need to perform weekly spore tests on sterilizers to ensure patient and staff safety from improperly sterilized equipment.

The association's standard 220-040 mandates that "a weekly spore test is performed and the results filed for each autoclave." The requirement conforms to recommendations from OSHA, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, and many insurance companies.

"While it may seem unrealistic to smaller facilities, like fertility clinics that make less frequent use of the autoclave, to conform with the standard, the AAAASF Board has continually supported strict regulations to verify that every facility's sterilization process is destroying microorganisms and spores," said James A. Yates, MD, president of AAAASF, in a September 22 press release.

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