Sterilisation standards
The sterilising of reusable medical devices is a specialised area of infection prevention. Quality management of reprocessing of reusable instruments and equipment is essential in ensuring a reliable and reproducible process is performed.
The recommended guidance for reprocessing of reusable instruments and equipment is contained within Australian/New Zealand Standard 4187:2014. All sterilising facilities should have ready access to this document.
This standard can be purchased through the Standards Australia website or accessed electronically through the SA Health library.
Training
Staff who undertake reprocessing of reusable medical devices must be trained in the necessary procedures. There are specific courses in sterilisation available locally through tertiary institutions for example:
- Certificate III in Sterilisation Services (delivered by ANMEC and TIME)
- Certificate IV in Sterilisation Services (delivered by ANMEC)
- Reprocessing of endoscopes online learning package (GENCA).
