Optimization and Evaluation of a Rapid Sterilization Process for Emergency Medical Instruments

ZHANG Yuefen; RAN Gui; ZHANG Jinrong

doi:10.13919/j.issn.2095-6274.ZHJY202504033

Abstract：Objective To evaluate the application effectiveness and value of an optimized rapid sterilization process for emergency medical instruments.Methods A total of 300 emergency instruments processed using the traditional sterilization protocol at the Disinfection Supply Center of Dejiang County National Hospital from January to June 2023 were designated as the control group.Another 300 instruments processed between July and December 2023 using the optimized sterilization protocol were designated as the observation group.Sterilization efficacy,process efficiency,cost-effectiveness,and instrument damage rates were compared between the two groups.Results The observation group demonstrated significantly higher rates of cleaning qualification and microbiological testing com-pliance compared to the control group(P＜0.05).The overall sterilization cycle time,as well as the time required for recovery,cleaning,packaging,sterilization,and storage/distribution stages,were significantly shorter in the observa-tion group(P＜0.001).The costs associated with sterilization equipment,consumables,labor,and energy consumption were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group(P＜0.001).Moreover,the post-steriliza-tion instrument damage rate was significantly lower in the observation group(1.67％vs.5.00％,P＜0.05).Conclu-sion Optimizing the rapid sterilization process for emergency instruments significantly improves sterilization effica-cy and operational efficiency,reduces economic costs,and minimizes instrument damage.