Productivity indicators in a sterilization central supply

Abstract

This study identifies productivity indicators at a Sterilization Central Supply (CME) through documents, observation and time counting of the process for two items selected from the sample: a bandage pack and a herniorrhaphy box. The monthly average production was 30,466.42 items, and the production capacity per hour was 10.3 items per employee. The bandage pack averaged 295 minutes from the expurgation area to storage; the manual process lasted 46 minutes and the automated 88 minutes. For the herniorrhaphy box the average was 329 minutes; the manual process lasted 60 minutes and automated 98 minutes. In the bandage kit, the manual process used up 59.23% of the productivity hours in the expurgation area, 3.28% in the preparation, 10.94% in the sterilization process, and 26.31% in storage and distribution. Figures for the manual process of herniorrhaphy box were: expurgation, 11.84%; preparation, 16.20%; storage and distribution, 7.47%; and sterilization, 1.89%. The study made possible to assess the results and to analyze the working process at the CME.