Joint Commission Study Time (May 2022)

The Joint Commission will send one surveyor to Cook Children's for one day to revisit campus. The visit will be unannounced and will occur any time between  Sunday, May 22 and Monday, June 6.

Please share with staff to help prepare for the survey. Thank you!

Q : Can we transport contaminated medical equipment in disposable, impervious plastic bags?

A : No

Policy IN-39 Transportation of Contaminated items for Sterilization or High-Level Disinfection:

• Department leadership should ensure that staff who transport contaminated equipment have competency evaluated at hire, annually, and where there are process or equipment changes.
• Contaminated items should be contained during transport from point of use to the decontamination area of SPS or designated area to minimize airborne or contact spread of microorganisms, and to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and infection.
• Reusable collection containers must be biohazard, medical grad, puncture-resistant, rigid and made of material that can be properly cleaned and decontaminated and must contain a latchable lid.
• Disposable, impervious plastic bags and sterilization pouches may not be used to transport contaminated equipment.
• Departments should have procedures outlining the steps for pre-clearing, transportation, and storage of reprocessed items.