"The CENTRAL SERVICE Department (CS) provides vital support to all patient care services in the healthcare facility. Central Service personnel are responsible for decontamination, cleaning, processing, assembling, sterilization, storing and distributing medical devices and supplies used in patient care".
The OPERATING ROOM (OR) is CS's Primary Customer, they are located between the patient and the CS staff in most hospitals, the OR depends on the accuracy and skills of the Central Service Technician".
The Decontamination area responsibility... is a very hazardous area. If personnel are not properly educated and trained, the hazard can be passed on to other staff and potentially patients. In this day and age, of HIV, Hepatitis, Herpes and various other pathogens, the technician role has become of the utmost importance in the SAFETY of staff and patients.
A primary responsibility is cleaning and sterilizing surgical and diagnostic equipment and other patient care medical devices. The Central Service department collects used materials or devices and supplies according to prescribed procedures and techniques. These supplies are then REPROCESSED.
Reprocessing involves decontamination, disinfecting, inspecting, assembly, packaging and finally terminal STERILIZATION.
After sterilization, reprocessed products are stored or distributed to be safely used on another patient.
"The CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIAN performs a variety of duties to maintain "INFECTION CONTROL STANDARDS" for the health and safety of patients, medical staff, and personnel".
Central Service resides under the auspices of "INFECTION CONTROL" literally everything a CS Technician does directly effect a facility / hospital's Infection Control rate and all NURSING CARE AREAS.
The Joint Commission (JCAHO) placed CS under Infection Control in their original standards over twenty years ago. The role of the CS process was identified and established at that point. CS is an important link between the patient and safe, quality healthcare.