Group aims to change the stigma around working in decontamination
Pure Processing LLC, developer and provider of reprocessing sinks, assembly tables, technologies, and accessories for healthcare reprocessing departments, launched the LuvDecon online community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/luvdecon) to raise awareness of the importance of decontamination processes in central sterile processing departments and celebrate reprocessing professionals who make patient safety a priority, announced Pure Processing.
“There are three prevailing issues that contribute to a negative perception of the decontamination role,” said Megan Pietura, Business Operations Manager of Pure Processing. “Firstly, reprocessing departments don’t always have the right equipment or infrastructure in place to enable optimal performance. That immediately makes the decontamination area a place of frustration. In addition, the decontamination area can be a physically demanding place to work, which over time can have a negative physical and mental impact on staff. Finally, the decontamination function typically suffers from personnel challenges because optimal staffing levels aren’t always maintained and creating a motivating, rewarding workplace isn’t always prioritized.”
In response to these issues, the LuvDecon online community group was created to provide a place for central sterile processing professionals to network, motivate and recognize each other, share best practices, and obtain continuing education opportunities. By being a source of support, the LuvDecon community can combat perceptions, increase respect for the profession, and bring awareness to one of the hospital’s most foundational steps to patient care: proper manual cleaning.
