Process

• Packing: The addition of 2D barcodes on instruments allows individual instruments to be scanned on a tray. This ensures that the same instruments stay together. When they are moved to other trays the system will still trace their usage to the correct patient. This significantly slows down the packing process but provides the highest level of traceability currently available.
• Decontamination: It is also possible to individually scan items back into CSSD before decontamination. The benefit of this is that any missing instruments can be quickly detected.
• Usage: Or optionally the scanning of instruments can happen immediately after surgery. This is time-consuming which makes it impractical for most hospitals but has the benefit that missing instruments are detected before all items leave the theatre.

Traceability

CJD patient traceability Yes

Benefits

Full accountability including tracking an item and instrument:

• From the decontamination load, it was initially washed in, 
• To the sterilisation load,
• To the patient,
• To the decontamination load, it was finally washed in,
• And through the entire cycle again. This is a key requirement in managing CJD cases.

Instruments that are swapped between trays are still individually tracked. Instruments that are sent for servicing and returned are catered for.