Why the Fuss Over Flashing?
Re: "What's Wrong With Flashing Cataract Instruments?" (July, page 54). I read your article with great interest because it matches my feeling that flashing is a good process. Here at our critical access hospital, we, too, do meticulous cleaning and flash in an enclosed FlashPak. We do eyes once a month and rent two trays of cataract instruments from an outsourcing company. We flash those instruments to have adequate turnover time. When the Joint Commission recently surveyed us, we received a "requirement for improvement" based on the accreditor's review of our flash log, which listed 12 flash loads for "eye instruments." We need to respond to the Joint Commission within 45 days with our plan. Without a standard from some organization that recommends the flashing, we may be forced to either procure more trays or stop providing cataract services. We're probably going to have to increase those two trays to eight trays to meet Joint Commission and AORN standards.

Phyllis Crall, RN
Manager of Surgery
Bucyrus Community Hospital
Bucyrus, Ohio
pcrall@bchonline.org