Sterile processing departments (SPDs) are the backbone of hospitals and surgery centers. They ensure that surgical tools and medical devices are properly cleaned, inspected, sterilized, and stored for future use.
Without this critical department, hospitals and other surgical facilities would be unable to perform procedures safely and in compliance with regulations and guidelines. As surgical demands increase, so do the storage challenges. Many healthcare facilities struggle to maintain storage efficiency while meeting the increased demand for sterile processing.
Choosing the right storage solutions is the first step in ensuring an SPD is optimized for current demand and future plans. That’s where Metro comes in: we offer specialized solutions to help combat the storage challenges facing SPDs today and help plan for tomorrow.
One of the most effective solutions for addressing storage challenges is polymer or plastic shelving, which provides protection against rips and tears and offers superior corrosion resistance, easy maintenance, and enhanced organization compared to other storage solutions.
This article will explore some of the challenges SPDs face in managing sterile storage and how MetroMax® polymer shelving solutions can help.
The Biggest Storage Challenges Facing Sterile Processing Departments
The SPD is often called the heart of the hospital because it serves a vital function in ensuring patient care. This department is the foundation of patient safety and ensures that every surgical instrument and medical device is properly cleaned, sterilized, and stored before use. A well-functioning SPD supports the OR’s efforts to ensure procedure rooms can maintain the high standards of infection control required for safe procedures.
Despite its critical role in healthcare, the SPD is not immune to challenges. In addition to staffing issues and inadequate resources, some of the biggest challenges revolve around storage. Facilities must prioritize storage capacity and efficiency to ensure operations run smoothly while maintaining compliance.
Here are three common challenges SPDs face regarding storage:
1. Insufficient Space to Meet Growing Demands
Healthcare facilities face continual pressure to maximize space utilization. Sterile processing areas are often confined to a limited footprint that cannot easily grow in line with demand.
When hospitals and surgery centers expand services or change processes, SPDs must accommodate a growing volume of surgical instruments and sterile supplies. However, this increased volume rarely comes with a corresponding increase in storage space, making it difficult to store sterilized instruments properly.
Subsequent overcrowding does more harm than good. Overloaded SPDs make organization difficult, increase contamination risks, and can lead to workflow inefficiencies and OR delays. Guidelines recommending not stacking wrapped packs compound the challenges.
2. Maintaining Integrity of Sterilized Items
The integrity of sterile instruments depends on three key factors: the sterilization process, proper containerization, and appropriate storage. Even after sterilization, improper handling or inadequate storage can compromise packaging, requiring costly reprocessing that strains resources, disrupts OR schedules, and impacts a facility’s bottom line.
Beyond operational inefficiencies, poor sterile storage can pose serious risks to patient safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surgical site infections (SSIs) account for 20% of all healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and can increase mortality by 2- to 11-fold. Because bacteria can enter the body through surgical instruments, maintaining complete sterility throughout processing and storage is critical in preventing these infections.
To reduce contamination risks, SPDs must comply with strict guidelines, such as those found in ANSI/AAMI ST79, to ensure that sterile items are protected from environmental contaminants until use. Without proper storage infrastructure, facilities risk regulatory penalties, increased reprocessing costs, and most importantly, compromised patient safety.
3. Workflow Efficiency and Organization
An organized and efficient SPD is essential for maintaining smooth operations and ensuring that surgical teams have the instruments they need without delay. Staff must quickly locate and retrieve sterile instruments without excessive searching or disruption. When storage is disorganized or inefficient, staff can waste valuable time searching for sterile supplies, leading to delays, misplaced items, and inventory inconsistencies.
Poor storage systems can also contribute to other pervasive issues, including overstocking, stockouts, and expired supplies going unnoticed. Staff may struggle to track inventory levels without proper shelving and categorization, increasing the risk of redundant reordering or shortages of essential surgical tools.
A lack of organization hinders overall efficiency, impacting surgical readiness and patient care. Additionally, sterile items not stored in dedicated, clearly marked locations may be misplaced or handled improperly, increasing the risk of contamination.
Finding a Solution: MetroMax Shelving
While space constraints, sterility concerns, and workflow inefficiencies present unique challenges, the right storage solutions can help alleviate these issues, allowing SPDs to operate more effectively. Shelving systems designed to maximize space, maintain sterility, and improve organization allow sterile processing teams to work more efficiently and better support the surgical teams that rely on them.
MetroMax shelving has become a favorite in sterile processing departments worldwide because it helps healthcare facilities overcome their most common SPD storage issues. MetroMax plastic shelving systems are made from advanced polymers that are durable, hygienic, and aesthetic. These plastic shelves provide unmatched strength, stability, and protection for vulnerable packaged items, including sterile wrapped trays, which makes them a top choice for use in sterile processing.
MetroMax i features stainless-steel corners and durable mats, making it the world’s strongest polymer shelving. Built to handle what you store most, MetroMax exceeds the weight capacity of wire shelving making it an excellent upgraded alternative.
Learn more about the differences between wire and plastic shelving in the healthcare industry.
The Benefits of Plastic Shelving in SPDs
Storage solutions in sterile processing departments/Central Sterile Services (CSS) must balance sterility, accessibility, durability, and organization to withstand the demands of a high-volume, high-regulation environment. Metro’s plastic shelving is designed to meet these challenges, offering a corrosion-proof, easy-to-maintain solution that enhances sterile storage protection and workflow efficiency.
Here are some of the many ways MetroMax is a smart choice for SPD storage:
Advanced Protection for Sterile Supplies
MetroMax shelving provides a smooth, non-abrasive, molded surface that helps safeguard delicate sterile packs from snags, rips, or punctures—a common issue with traditional wire shelving.
Unlike shelving with raised edges that can cause packaging tears, MetroMax polymer shelving features solid and vented grid mats that support sterile items while reducing the risk of damage. Preventing rips and tears in sterile wraps helps minimize the need for costly reprocessing and delays in surgical readiness.
Corrosion-Proof Durability for Long-Term Use
Unlike traditional wire or painted solutions, which can rust or otherwise degrade over time, MetroMax polymer shelving is corrosion-proof. This makes it an ideal choice for SPDs where frequent sterilization and thorough cleaning protocols are required.
Rust and corrosion not only shorten the lifespan of shelving but also pose a risk to sterility and can contribute to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). With advanced polymer construction, MetroMax offers the strength of metal without the risk of degradation, ensuring long-term reliability and compliance with sterile storage standards while maintaining its aesthetics.
Easy Cleaning and Maintenance
Maintaining a sterile storage environment requires quick and easy-to-clean shelving. MetroMax features smooth, non-porous surfaces that resist dust buildup and can be wiped down easily. Additionally, its removable shelf mats allow for separate cleaning, adding an extra layer of sanitation that supports infection control efforts in SPDs.
Microban® Antimicrobial Protection for Added Safety
MetroMax shelving is designed to help SPDs maintain infection control standards with Microban® antimicrobial protection. This built-in product protection inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew on the shelving surface, helping to keep storage areas cleaner between scheduled cleanings, providing an extra safeguard in environments where infection control is a top priority.
Optimized Organization with Custom Accessories
Efficient storage organization is essential for maintaining a smooth SPD workflow and reducing retrieval time. Metro offers a variety of shelving accessories that work with MetroMax storage solutions to enhance organization and streamline inventory management:
- Adjustable Dividers: Available in various heights to accommodate different sizes of stored items, they minimize wasted space above and are adjustable to define the width of the space based on item size. This setup also reduces wasted space between items, ensuring efficient use of each shelf.
- Color-Coded Shelf Markers: Help staff quickly locate and retrieve supplies by distinguishing items assigned to different service lines or categories.
- Label Holders: Reserve SKU locations to ensure items are always returned to their correct storage space, minimizing misplacement and inventory errors.
By incorporating these advanced storage solutions, MetroMax plastic shelving helps SPDs maintain sterility, improve workflow efficiency, and ensure compliance with healthcare standards.
Maximize SPD Storage with High-Density Polymer Shelving
As the population ages, the demand for surgical services is expected to increase. With an increasing number of procedures being performed, SPDs must keep pace by ensuring they have adequate storage for sterilized instruments and supplies. However, since expanding physical space is rarely an option, one of the most effective ways to meet increased demand is through high-density shelving.
All sterile products must be stored in a way that maintains sterility until use. Since most items spend the majority of their time in sterile storage areas, efficient use of space is essential to prevent overcrowding and maintain proper organization. High-density shelving solutions can increase storage capacity by as much as 50% without adding additional floor space.
Track shelving is designed to accommodate more physical units in limited spaces, such as SPDs. Metro’s high-density shelving features sliding mobile units between stationary end units to create active aisles, enabling you to store more in the same area while keeping supplies accessible. The high-density movable aisle design allows staff to store sterile packs and create an organized area for carts and other equipment.
Metro Top-Track
Top-Track features an overhead guide track that aligns the sliding mobile units, allowing the floor area to remain free of obstacles. Because Top-Track is positioned above the shelving rather than on the floor, it provides convenient access to the storage aisle and simplifies routine cleaning.
Metro qwikTRAK
QwikTRAK utilizes a traditional floor track to direct the mobile shelving units. This track also adjusts for uneven or bumpy floors, allowing the mobile shelving units to move smoothly on heavy-duty casters.
Benefits of Metro High-Density Track Shelving
- Maximize Storage Capacity: The active aisle's design allows you to incorporate more shelving units within a confined space, increasing potential capacity by up to 50%.
- Improved Organization: The increased space allows staff to store sterilized packages correctly, which makes it easier to find items and review inventory quickly.
- Scalability: Adding high-density track shelving future-proofs your sterile storage, providing more space as your department grows.
- Maintain Integrity of Sterilized Items: MetroMax polymer track shelving is easier to clean and provides a safer design for sterile packs (compared to wire shelving alternatives).
Learn more about the benefits of adding high-density storage to your sterile processing department.
Future-Proof Your SPD Storage with Metro
At Metro, we understand that limited storage space in sterile processing departments can directly impact efficiency, compliance, and overall patient care. A lack of proper storage solutions can also lead to misplaced sterile packages, unnecessary reprocessing, surgical delays, and even compliance violations. That’s why MetroMax polymer shelving is designed to provide the durability, protection, and flexibility SPDs need.
MetroMax polymer shelving systems are perfect for SPDs—sterile instrument storage and clean supply storage—because they address the unique requirements of sterile environments without sacrificing quality. Whether stationary, mobile, or track shelving, MetroMax offers exceptional protection, efficiency, and versatility.