How time pressure affects manual cleaning efficacy

Manual cleaning is the most important step for endoscope reprocessing success,¹ and effective cleaning relies on the process being followed stringently without skipping any steps. It is also the most time intensive step of reprocessing, with a United States survey reporting that manual cleaning took an average of 17 minutes to complete.²

Despite its crucial importance, staff face pressure to reduce the time spent on manual cleaning. Time pressure has been rated as the number one factor contributing to manual cleaning difficulty and reduced effectiveness.³ Among those performing endoscope reprocessing, 65% said that time pressure made manual cleaning unnecessarily difficult, and 67% reported that it made the process less effective.³ Given the complexities of manual cleaning, this time pressure can lead to rushed or skipped steps. In another survey, 17% of reprocessing staff said that they routinely skipped steps because of time pressure.⁴