Double Check Your Scopes for Damage
A simple way to make your reprocessing staff accountable.
There's not much you can do to prevent scope damage that comes from wear and tear. But you can prevent the damage that results from improper handling. In addition to the normal documentation of scope in, scope out and quality checks, we added the following policy: The person washing scopes on a particular day is responsible for asking a co-worker to check the scopes at day's end.

Both people must be present and check the scopes together. They both record their initials next to the scope number in the log. They must visually examine each scope for such damage as frays, buckling, crimps, discoloration, peeling or snaking. They'll also feel the length of the insertion tube for damage and assess its bending diameter. Any discovered damages must be reported immediately.

Usually the scope washer will ask the person who's been assigned to wash scopes the following day to conduct the check. This lends an added level of vigilance to the process, since the next day's scope washer won't want any undiscovered damages to show up on her watch. Our non-punitive assessment helps to ward off the scourge of "I don't know when that happened." With a double check and initials on the record, we know exactly when the damage occurred and can educate staff accordingly for more careful handling in the future.

Doretha Smith, RN
Nurse Manager
Quad City Endoscopy
Moline, Ill.
dlsnrse@aol.com