March 27, 2025

Sterile processing is the cleaning, inspecting, disinfecting, and sterilization of medical devices and instruments used during a surgical procedure.  Effective surgical instrument and device management is critical to maintaining patient safety, improving operational efficiencies, and preventing errors.  To add another layer of safety to this process, Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) recently implemented the CensiTrac Surgical Instrument Tracking System to help manage the Hospital’s vast inventory of surgical instruments and medical devices and provide a state-of-the-art tracking system from sterilization to patient use. 
 
CensiTrac automates many aspects of the instrument management system and reduces the time that staff members spend manually tracking instruments and devices while providing transparency to surgical and sterile processing staff on the various stages involved in reprocessing.  With the system’s automated instrument conflict management feature, staff are alerted to any potential instrument conflicts when multiple instruments and devices are needed throughout the day.  The feature allows LMH staff to offer more flexibility when scheduling surgeries and helps decrease surgical delays.
 
Additionally, this sophisticated software is designed to provide real-time visibility into the lifecycle of surgical instruments from purchase to replacement.  The system provides LMH surgical staff with valuable reporting tools to manage inventory, decrease waste, and promote workflow efficiencies.  By using barcode scanning and advanced software analytics, CensiTrac ensures that surgical instruments and medical devices are meticulously tracked through every step of the process eliminating the potential for lost or misplaced items.
 
The CensiTrac system also provides the most accurate information for surgical tray set up, which can consist of numerous, complex instruments and devices.  The software links to a national database that provides instant access for surgery and sterile processing staff to view each manufacturer’s instrument/tray requirements for cleaning, sterilizing, and storage.  Additionally, new and tenured staff are provided with visual images of surgical trays so they can reproduce each tray to the surgeon’s specifications.
 
By offering real-time tracking, sterilization verification, lifecycle monitoring, and inventory management, CensiTrac is expected to become an indispensable tool for the physicians and surgical staff at LMH.  With the ability to streamline workflows and simplify the surgical instrument administration process, the system will play a crucial role in improving operations, enhancing patient care, and reducing costs.