Mrs Mandy Davidson1
1Townsville Hospital
My organisation is moving to centralised reprocessing. We are in a tropical climate where outside temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius and 80% relative humidity for 7 months of the year or more.
There is a requirement to transport sterile reusable medical devices (RMDs) for distances of 500 plus kilometres. Most are within 150 kilometres. This can take from 2 to 8 hours. Transport is by road or air.
Storage requirements have very strict parameters. What is the risk or likelihood of sterile barrier system failure if these conditions are breeched during transport?
I plan to explore the conditions RMDs are exposed to during transport. There is limited evidence available about transport requirements, particularly in tropical climates.
I am interested in discussing how to determine the best method of ensuring the RMDs maintain their sterility and integrity during transport.
