Proactive Sterilizer Services was born in 2013 to service the needs of Central and South Western Victorian health care facilities. Located in Clunes Victoria, I am in the heart of the Goldfields region of Victoria. I pride myself on getting the job done day in day out in exactly the way I would expect if I were in your shoes. Proactive is built to provide the best service possible at every visit. To "Service without compromise".
Who is Proactive Sterilizer Services?
Proactive Sterilizer Services is a friendly, committed, accredited and professional rural medical reprocessing equipment service, maintenance and testing service for South Western and Central districts of regional Victoria.
I go to great lengths to offer the right solution that suits your needs, not just what I have at the time. This is because every single practice has different needs and your needs are almost always different to every other practice.
Installations are a great representation of this theory. More and more practices are coming to me to help set up their new Sterilisation rooms so the absolute best result for function, practicality and equipment option meet your needs now and for the years to come! As such, dedication to integrate custom plumbing and water treatment services, storage and function for your room is at the forefront of the solution. I look at how things effect your reprocessing functionality for the best long term. At the end of the day it's your money and you deserve the solution that best suits your needs every time. I work closely with your local tradesmen to ensure the installation is done to a standard that works for you to make the equipment work as practically as possible. We can provide installation requirements to your tradesmen as well as examples of past installs for clarity and to expedite the process.
I work to you timeline and come when it is best suited to your workflow so I have the least disruption to your practice on the day. Not the other way around. After all, it is always going to be best at the time that is convenient for you. I also arrange my schedule with foresight so that other work can be tied to your schedule where possible to make the service as cost effective as possible without compromising the physical work during service and repair.
Proactive does not work on strict time schedules while on-site during service and validation so that all time required to service and maintain your valuable and critical investment can be provided so you see me less or even not at all between scheduled visits.
The philosophy is designed so all updates, service directives, and potential future snags can be taken care of in one visit without work being compromised by time or money. Also unusually, this extra time to go over everything thoroughly on service visits does not incur additional labour charges for serviceable items to be checked or modified. This is why it's "Service Without Compromise". We look for problems proactively rather than waiting for things to go wrong so it is a more cost effective service over the year rather than spending your money on the cheapest option now and more unexpected visits during the year. That is not good for either of us is it.In many ways I work opposite to conventional providers so I can do things better and that's what makes Proactive a great choice in so many ways and as a biproduct of that, it costs you far less in the long run.
My service is "customer-centric" and all about your needs. It's the basis of everything I've ever done with Proactive and the thing that always drives me to excel for you. "Service without compromise" .
Proactive Sterilizer services only services regional Victoria. We support Ballarat, Geelong, Warrnambool, Portland Colac, Hamilton, Horsham, Warracknabeal, St Arnaud, Bendigo, Echuca, Kyabram, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Cohuna, Kerang, Woodend and Gisborne.
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Fully accredited service and sales partner for Mocom Australia and Aqualife Products.
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Trained Melag and Sirona Dac service.
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Hatmed service and sales partner.
A different approach to service.
Steri room design
As reprocessing equipment is becoming more elaborate and functional, the rooms must be designed more specifically. Spaces need to be designed to comply with AS-5369-2023 and must be suitable to complete the process phase such as bagging and inspection.
Placement of power points, water supplies, waste services, basins, reverse osmosis water systems, sterile stock draws, room temperature control systems and equipment locations are really essential to functionality. I advise on the best places to put these services so the room works for you and to ensure your practices is compliant.
In general space is used inefficiently and as practices grow, the Steri must grow. Designing for the future is the best way for the room to work effectively and functionally.
I work with your Architect to design the space based of the equipment to make it functional and clutter free. Even small spaces can work with no less than 4.3m of of bench space.
I also work with Evoke Projects to bring the design and build to life if you are looking for an experienced and professional design firm that can bring your vision to life, either contact us or contact Evoke Projects directly
Equipment/ Autoclaves
Washer Disinfectors
Rotary Motor Maintenance Units
Medical Water Treatment Systems
Infection control and general information
What is an IFU?
What are IFU'sIFU's are the documentation that come with RMD's (Reusable Medical Devices) Equipment, Detergent's etc.. IFU's guide us to understand how an item is to be used and any specific information relating to the item.
In the context of reprocessing of RMD's, they give us specific directions on how to reprocess the RMD including the safe processes, process chemicals, reprocessing methods, safe and recommended reprocessing agents/ detergent's and any specific instructions on how to reprocess or dismantling of the RMD. Under AS-5369-2023, the IFU has become integral to the determination of how we build our processes.
AS-58369-2023 6.2.3 states the following -
(a) Disassembly of an RMD/ other device prior to pre-treatment or cleaning. Disassembly methods are to clean without damage and in accordance with the devices IFU.
In essence we follow the IFU for all reprocessing. We now need to gather IFU's for our Medical devices and reprocessing agents and keep a database of our IFU's as evidence of why we process in the manner we do. If we have ten instrument's that dictate ten differing processes' we "Shall" follow the IFU for all ten methods prescribed by the IFU.
As an example, the Dental EMS Airflow scalar's IFU states the following -
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Manual pre-cleaning for 20 seconds immediately after use (Chairside).
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Rinse the Lumen Handpiece under water.
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Soiling must be removed chairside immediately after use.
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Cleaning is to be performed within one hour from use.
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Any part of the Handpiece can be cleaned manually or automatically by washer disinfector. EMS recommends the use of an ISO-15883 compliant washer disinfector for optimal effectiveness and service life.
What this means when we couple AS-5369-2023 and the IFU is that we may only pre-clean manually immediately after use and the cleaning is to be completed in a washer disinfector. Manual cleaning of RMD's is no longer permitted in Health Care facilities unless -
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(a) If an RMD's validated cleaning instructions require manual cleaning.
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(b) as a pre-treatment prior to reprocessing of an RMD in a WD.
In the end the IFU drives our processes to ensure the integrity of the device and integrity of the process to safety reprocess our RMD's for the patient at all times.
Please consult your copy of AS-5369-2023 or body group document/ guideliens for more information.
Washer Disinfectors.
More and more these days the subject of washer disinfectors is a topic that is now relevant to every Health Care Organisation in Australia and New Zealand. So what are they? Do I need One? Are they compulsory?
Firstly, specialized European-designed thermal washer-disinfectors for surgical and medical instruments became prominent and began wide distribution by the mid-1980s, eventually setting global design and automation standards. They are there to standardise and improve the cleaning and reprocessing of RMD's in Health Care Facilities. In Australia they must be TGA approved and compliant to be used for reprocessing. They build additional levels of safety to HSO's and remove much of the mistakes that can be made by humans. They complete the entire process in most cases from the point of initial chairside decontamination to the point of packaging the RMD. It is a complete, repeatable and validateable process.
Secondly and thirdly, most if not all HSO's (Health Service Organisations) will need them for many parts of their reprocessing. Once again if we follow our IFU's, they will tell us more often than not that they are required for reprocessing many quality RMD's. The burning question is "Are washer disinfectors compulsory"? The answer is no and yes. Once again the IFU tells us if they are required to reprocess an RMD and in Australia and New Zealand, then we must follow the IFU and use the washer disinfector.
As a business that Installs, services more than 35 and supplies WD's and has been working with them since 2015, I can tell you that they are one of the best investments a practice can make. There is still a lot of scepticism around them. Historically we have had a limited range and limited performance. Things have changed greatly since 2015 and we have many options that vary things like volume, process time, record keeping and water sources as well as significant cleaning improvements.
Washer disinfectors provide a process that includes pre-washing, intermediate rinse, cleaning, final rinse, thermal disinfection and drying in most models. Steps that I repeatably see being missed in HSO's reguarly.
Buying the right one that will suit your practice is something that is best tackled with an experienced technician, but not necessarily a salesman. In my experience I look at many factors such as -
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How many sterilisers will the washer need to feed?
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Do I have above or below bench space?
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How many treatment rooms does the practice run at any one time?
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How many instruments does the practice have which is a direct relation to the speed of the WD required?
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Which solution will be the easiest to implement?
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What water system will I connect to for final rinse water requirements?
WD's provide a clean that people cannot repeatably do. When a practice has had a long term manual or Ultrasonic process for some time and a WD is implemented, the immediate cleaning results are immediately and visually obvious. Every practice that has implemented one has had the same experience. There are so many benefits to them and they include -
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80% reduction in staff intervention/ input during reprocessing.
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Significant reprocessing cost saving.
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Fast ROI.
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Repeatable and validateable process.
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Records are produced for critical data parameters.
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Significant reduction of paper records to meet AS-5369-2023 (8) Routine monitoring and control.
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They keep working when we are short staffed and busy.
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Seamless integration of final rinse water systems.
In short, WD's have so many benefits and we now have enough range to suit 99% of practices ideally. They provide a repeatable process that is documented and at a significant cost saving over a manual/ human process. They are to be embraced and provide additional safety to the patient. And for all the practices that have purchased the right one, they have been embraced and become integral and invaluable to those practices. And the last point is that for most RMD's, we must now be integrating them for those devices.
For more information or to discuss options, please feel free to get in contact.
What does Autoclave and Washer Disinfector Validation entail? What is it?
A lot of us remember or cincider Calibration and Validation as the same thing because that is what we've always known. That is incorrect. Calibration is a portion of Validation but does not constitute Validation. So what is Validation?
Validation comprises of three things -
(a) Installation Qualification
(b) Operational qualification
(c) Performance qualification (also know as physical performance qualification PPQ)
Installation Qualification in an undertaking that demonstrates the reprocessing equipment is installed according and serviced in accordance with their specification.
Operational Qualification is carried out to prove the efficacy of the reprocessing equipment to deliver cleaning and/ or sterility performance. We call these "Performance tests" which most people would know as Soil testing, Vacuum and Helix tests. This may also require a chamber study for newly installed units.
Performance Qualification is the process we use to demonstrate the equipment and ancillaries consistently deliver the parameters such as temperature/ pressure and SAL (Sterility Assurance Level) using highly acccurate equipment and Biological indicators over three cycles per cycle type used by the Health Service Organisation. We measure the physical parameters and prove lethality of the equipment concurrently to it's operational norms described by the manufacturer. Calibration is checked under this part of the Validation process by monitoring and recording the physical parameters. Very few equipments provide adjustment of calibration so it is literally only a check during PQ.
When we engage a contractor to look after the equipment, we must consider and ask for the following under AS-5369-2023 and body documents -
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The service provider MUST provide evidence of qualification and training to be concidered a suitably qualified person to perform service and validation as a complete process.
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The service contractor must provide a contract outlining their suitability and also outline what they will provide the HSO.
If either of the above cannot be provided by the contractor, they shall not be engaged to work unqualified on equipment.
Hint - The Service provider Shall provide evidence such as process records, data recordings, photographs and other types of evidence to prove that they have proven IQ/ OQ and PPQ on the day of testing.
OQ cannot be performed by the Health Service Organisation prior to the technician arriving and SHALL be performed by the contractor only after the equipment is serviced to the manufacturer's specification for the efficacy of the equipment. This is because when equipment is serviced we technicians can make errors that compromise the performance of the equipment. We perform OQ performance tests to evidentially prove the performance of the unit after changes have been made or equipment is serviced.
It is recommended that when a technician performs PPQ that you consider how long they have been there? It may be an indicator that testing has not been performed to a standard that protects you and provides evidence of the safety and performance of the equipment. It is not something that we should consider compromising.
So, how long does it take?
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IQ/ OQ including Performance tests and servicing on average will be 1.5 > 2.0 hours.
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PQ should take 2 > 3 hours per process/ cycle tested.
So if your service company is not taking at least 4.5 hours then they may not be providing and evidential test process to qualify the efficacy and safety of your equipment.
So when considering a new service contractor for any of your equipment, ensure that evidence of their suitability to provide the service that you beleive to be hiring them for so that it protects your business and does not compromise your patients.
Water for sterilisation and cleaning processes.
Water has become a big topic that is often understood to it's relevance within the reprocessing environment.
We have water regulations that have mostly been around since 2006 so they are not really new, but what has changed is that now need to provide evidence of the qualify of the water we use for our processes which is directly linked to validation under IQ for both autoclaves and washer disinfectors. The three types of water we need to consider the quality of are as follows are -
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Pre-cleaning, Initial Rinse and Cleaning.
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Final rinse.
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Steam Quality.
While there is a biological component to the quality, the main reason is that your instruments cannot be compromised within the spectrum of reprocessing. The parameters for water quality are found in AS-5369-2023 7.23 Services qualification and tables 7.2 and 7.3 for final rinse quality, Table 7.4 for sterilisers greater than 60lt and we use EN-13060 for small steam sterilisers under 60lt.
In general the best way to achieve this is through a Medical grade Reverse Osmosis system. Systems such as the Aqualife RP05 and M900 systems provide systems that meet the requirement's and have additional treatment solutions that can tackle excessive levels of bacterial, TVC's, endotoxins and hardness.
Testing can be done through your local water authority laboratory which complies with AS ISO/IEC 17025.
For more information or to discuss a solution for your practice, do not hesitate to get in touch.