September 30, 1994
Work stations and equipment for cleaning
SPD).
The instruments are thoroughly
soiled items must be located in a manner to
inspected, assembled, packaged, and sterilized
facilitate unidirectional flow of work towards
(using the appropriate sterilizer; either steam or
the clean side of SPD.
EtO
gas),
and
then
stored
in
the
Sterile/Nonsterile Storage Room adjacent to the
The decontamination area is totally
Preparation, Assembly & Sterilization Area for
separated from the clean area and its staff
future use.
is confined to this space; therefore, the
staff must be provided with its own lounge,
Refer to Section 3, Room Relationship
lockers, toilets, and shower facilities
Diagrams for examples of suggested room
(LLTS).
Space for this function is
relationships, recognizing however, that the
determined by staffing and workload
needs of individual healthcare facilities may
projections on a project by project basis.
determine deviations from the diagrams.
If an automatic cart wash is required, an
additional 5 NSM (53.8 NSF) is required for
Functions of Areas Within SPD
the integrated drying chamber.
Clean Receiving and Breakout Area: This
In the Preparation, Assembly & Sterilization
is where supplies enter the SPD from the
Area sufficient space must be provided in
clean side of the loading dock and are
front of the sterilizers for loading and
removed from their shipping containers
unloading the sterilizer carriages and for
prior to entry into the clean/sterile storage
cooling after the sterilization cycle.
area.
The EtO sterilizers/aerators, should be in
Bulk Storage Area: Incoming containers
an enclosed room inside the Preparation,
that remain sealed are stored temporarily in
Assembly
&
Sterilization
Area.
the Bulk Storage Area.
Loading/unloading zone access to the
sterilizers must be included in this room.
Clean/Sterile Storage Area: Supplies are
stored here prior to being delivered to
users. These items consist of reusables
Room Relationships & Adjacencies
and disposables, and may already be
sterilized or awaiting sterilization.
An efficient and functional work flow must
determine spatial arrangements for all SPD
Receiving, Cleaning, and Decontamination
activities. Soiled materials (medical and surgical
Area: Contaminated reusable instruments
instruments) are returned to SPD via a vertical
and supplies are received, sorted, cleaned,
transport system (case cart lifts, elevators, or
decontaminated, and presterilized in this
dumbwaiters) directly to the Soiled Receiving
area.
The room must be physically
and Decontamination Room to be reprocessed.
separated from the other SPD areas. This
This room should be adjacent to the Preparation,
area should be provided with direct access
Assembly & Sterilization Area. These two rooms
to locker, lounge, toilet, and shower
are separated by a wall, with pass-through
facilities where personnel assigned to this
sterilizer chambers installed within the wall. A
area
can
change
clothing
before
pass-through window must be available for small
entering/exiting.
items proceeding from decontamination to the
Manual Equipment Wash Area: Equipment
prep area. Maintenance access doors to the
and carts are decontaminated in the
sterilizer must also be available.
manual equipment wash area.
Materials that have been cleaned are placed
Automatic Cart Wash Area:
This area
into the washer/sterilizer, processed, and the
houses a cart washer that must have drying
instruments retrieved at the Preparation,
capabilities.
Assembly & Sterilization Area (clean side of
VA Design Guide -- Supply, Processing, & Distribution
Page 2-3
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