STERILE PROCESSING
Hospital Leaders: It’s Time to Give SPD a Seat at the Table BY KARA NADEAU
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other professionals who report they are still fighting to be heard. So, as we close out 2025, I reached out to the sterile processing community to ask, “Where should SPD professionals have a seat at the table, but don’t?” The response was tremendous— both to my post on LinkedIn and the direct emails and one-on-one conversations I had with SPD professionals. What follows is a summary of these responses, including realworld stories that highlight the importance of hospital leaders and
Industry level decisions Sterile processing professionals must play a role in the development of standards, policies, and other guidance and recommendations that impact their work. “We should be involved in strategic discussions within our organizations and industries as subject matter experts in operations management and patient safety,” said Courtney Mace Davis, MBA, CHL, CRCST, AVP, Sterile Processing for Endeavor Health. “The sterile processing solutions of today may not have the same impact in five years. We can learn from other departments, healthcare organizations, and industries as long as we lean in and are willing to learn from others. These same groups can also learn from some of the great things SPD is doing.”
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anuary 2026 marks 13 years since I joined the HPN editorial team and much of that time has been spent covering sterile processing departments (SPD). I have interviewed countless sterile processing professionals and experts in the field. Their passion for patient care and safety never ceases to amaze me. While I hear more stories of SPD teams who have built strong, collaborative relationships with their hospitals’ executive leadership and other key partners (e.g., perioperative, infection prevention), there are
other stakeholders tapping into the knowledge and expertise of their SPD teams—and the risks of overlooking this critical resource.
18 | November-December 2025 | Healthcare Purchasing News