Scripps Health
Scripps Health is a significant non-profit healthcare system in San Diego, California with a mission to care for everyone who comes through their doors – including devoting significant resources to those who are vulnerable or underserved.
About the Facility:
Scripps Health is a significant non-profit healthcare system in San Diego, California with a mission to care for everyone who comes through their doors – including devoting significant resources to those who are vulnerable or underserved. The system includes five hospitals, 19 outpatient facilities, plus clinical research and medical education programs. Candace Goldstein, B.S. RDMS, has been at Scripps since 1993, and was instrumental in implementing system-wide trophon® technology for high level disinfection (HLD) of ultrasound probes. As the Ultrasound System Educator since 2006, she is responsible for clinical training, staff development, and assisting to maintain compliance and accreditation across 10 clinical sites.
Early adopter of trophon technology:
Scripps was an early adopter of trophon® technology in November 2011 - a pioneering partnership facilitated through an introduction from GE.
“We were interested in the automation and reduced environmental impact of the device. It took quite a bit of education to get the decision-makers on-board with trophon technology – primarily the Infection Control Department. Prior to introducing the devices, we were chemically soaking the ultrasound probes. Our infection control team takes safety and infection prevention VERY seriously, so it was crucial to demonstrate the research and clinical trials before we were given permission to implement the devices throughout the facility.”Candace GoldsteinB.S., RDMS | Ultrasound System Educator
The partnership began with an initial installation of trophon devices in Radiology departments which soon grew to include OBGYN departments and Urology departments system-wide. The IDN now has a total of 64 trophon devices across their facilities.
Standardization & Automation Eliminate Risk of Human Error in Busy Facilities
The primary benefits with trophon devices that Candace has observed are standardization and automation in their disinfection procedures. “The consistency is key. We now have the same workflow for every probe HLD cycle, and the automation reduces the incidence of human error. In such a large facility, risk mitigation is a primary concern. Each trophon device is typically used for between 2 and 10 HLD cycles per day. The OBGYN rooms in particular can be very busy. When all providers are in, we might perform 8-10 endovaginal exams on a given day, so it’s more important than ever that we keep our patients safe through standardized processes. With the trophon device, we’ve eliminated the risk of error and are confident that our probes meet the safety standard for use on every patient.”
The trophon® family includes trophon® EPR and trophon®2, which share the same core technology of ‘sonically activated’ hydrogen peroxide.
