The heart of hospital hygiene: Exploring the central sterile supply department of a tertiary care hospital in Punjab

• Author Details:   
• Priya Bansal
• Sarit Sharma ^*
• Anurag Chaudhary
• Vikram Kumar Gupta
• Mahesh Satija

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Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to pose a major challenge to healthcare professionals in all healthcare settings. To combat hospital-acquired infections, hospitals need an effective method of disinfection and sterilization, which can be taken care of by the central sterile supply department (CSSD). So this study was planned to get information and a detailed picture of organization, the functioning of the CSSD department and its role in the prevention of HAIs.

Materials and Methods: This observational study was carried out in the CSSD department of a tertiary care hospital in Punjab over a period of three months. An observation checklist was used for the purpose of the study after obtaining permission from the appropriate authorities

Results: CSSD of this institution is conveniently located, offering easy access to all operating theatres and wards. Sterilization is done by steam sterilization and gas sterilization with a total of five autoclaves and one ETO machine. Physical, chemical and biological indicators are regularly used during the process of sterilization.

Conclusion: CSSD of this institution is contributing its part towards the reduction of HAIs. For effective prevention and control of HAIs, a continuous surveillance and monitoring system is imperative for determining the extent of the problem.