When our scrub techs have packed a load of instruments that have been through the autoclave, they use a date stamping gun - like in a grocery store - to mark the packs with the processing date and load number. They set the stamping gun to print the load number and the date and just sticker everything. Click, click, click, done. That's a lot of time saved for the tech, since he's not in the back writing on every package. Handwritten information could be illegible or get smeared, so this technique also avoids a lot of potential mistakes. Plus, it provides a convenient tracking methodology for instruments: It's easy to identify the patients and procedures from which they came. And it's confidential, so it's HIPAA compliant.

Cynthia A. Burciaga, RN, BSN, MBA-HCM
Director of Nursing and Perioperative Services
Littleton Day Surgery Center
Littleton, Colo.
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