Decontamination in the COVID era

The Clinical Services Journal’s Decontamination Supplement will be featuring research on how sterile services and endoscope reprocessing departments are adapting to the COVID era and the lessons that can be learned. Please take a few minutes to answer our survey (all replies are anonymous). The results of the survey will be published in the April 2021 supplement.

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* 1. How has COVID-19 impacted your sterile services/endoscope reprocessing department? (Tick the option that has had the greatest impact)

Output has increased

Output has decreased

We have had to redeploy staff

We have had to re-train staff

We encountered shortages of PPE

Staff absences have increased as staff are off sick with COVID-19

Decontamination practices have changed to tackle the emerging threat

Staff have experienced additional stress and mental health concerns

The unit has had to change the way it works / the way it is set up to allow for distancing of colleagues

There is not enough space for colleagues to safely distance due to a small footprint

We have had to reprocess unfamiliar devices procured / donated in an emergency

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* 2. During shortages of PPE, during the pandemic, did your Trust consider the possibility of using the sterile services department to reprocess PPE and single-use devices as a contingency plan if the situation became critical?

Yes

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* 3. Do you feel confident that your safety has always been protected while working during the pandemic?

Yes

If you answered 'no', what actions would give you more confidence?

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* 4. Do you feel that enough information and guidance have been provided during the pandemic to enable your department to respond to the challenges?

Yes

If you answered ‘no’, what information / guidance do you think would be helpful?

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* 5. Have you received any specific training to help meet the challenges of decontaminating equipment during the pandemic?

Yes

If you answered ‘no’, what training do you feel would be helpful?

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* 6. Are there any initiatives that have been implemented as a result of COVID-19 that will be continued beyond the pandemic?

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* 7. What are you most proud of in terms of how you and your colleagues have contributed during the pandemic and how your department has risen to the challenges of COVID-19?