There are many details that go into prepping an OR and all the instruments necessary for safe and sterile surgeries. Surgical technicians must keep detailed records of these tasks to ensure the room is ready for surgery.

Using EFT, or efficiency tasks, shifts maintenance into the 21st century. Moving away from handwritten paper logs and going digital, SPDs are able to keep strict records and quickly check references when necessary.

On this episode, Gabrielle Bejarano hosts Kelly Swails, Director of Clinical Services at Censis Technologies, and Desiree Acedo, CST, CRCST, CIS, Supervisor Sterile Processing Department at Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center. They break down the complexities required to prepare ORs and how EFT technology supports the role, ensuring patient safety and the highest level of care. The episode covers…

• What is an efficiency task list, and how it’s used in the sterile processing department.
• Reporting and the necessary documentation that’s supported by EFT to ensure compliance.
• What tasks are pre-built into CensiTrac.

Most of the documentation from a surgical tech is considered legal paperwork and held to an incredibly high standard. “It’s really streamlined and freed up my time to do the 1,000 other tasks that I have to do,” said Acedo. Daily reports support managers and ensure compliance, “Someone is getting those emails and verifying that those things are done,” said Kelly Swails.

Kelly Swails started as a surgical technician and went on to receive her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul. She’s been working in healthcare since 2003. Desiree Acedo is a surgical tech by trade and is now a sterile processing supervisor. She coordinates between sterile processing and the OR. Trained at the University of Phoenix, she's been in the field since 1995.

If you have any questions about EFT, or would like more information about how you can use them at your facility reach out to [email protected].