By: Jennifer Greisen

In brief:

• Designing a hospital without SPD experts can lead to costly bottlenecks, workflow inefficiencies and unexpected redesigns that strain budgets.
• Including SPD experts ensures the department is prepared for future growth, complex tray demands and compliance with evolving industry standards.
   

Designing a new hospital is an ambitious project that brings together architects, developers, contractors and equipment planners to create a state-of-the-art facility. While these professionals focus on structural design, aesthetics and equipment installation, there’s one critical area that is often overlooked during the planning phase: the sterile processing department (SPD).

The SPD is the backbone of surgical operations, ensuring that instruments are cleaned, sterilized and ready for procedures. Yet, the SPD is sometimes treated as an afterthought in the construction planning process. This can cripple surgical workflows, create costly bottlenecks and force multimillion-dollar redesigns that strain an already tight budget.

To avoid these outcomes, assembling the right team is imperative. Here’s how to ensure your project brings the right expertise to the table for long-term success.

Who is missing?

Most hospitals start with the basics when designing a new hospital: a contractor, architect, project lead and equipment planner. While these roles are essential, they often focus on current capacity rather than long-term growth or compliance with evolving standards.

For example, equipment planners may calculate that the SPD needs to process 10,000 trays today, but they rarely account for tray complexity, future service lines or projected growth. At the end of the project, this can yield an SPD that meets today’s needs but becomes overwhelmed within a few years. It’s a devastating and expensive discovery that could have been avoided if someone at the table wasn’t missing: an SPD expert.

The critical role of SPD experts

SPD experts bring a deep understanding of workflows, tray complexity and compliance requirements to ensure all new hospital construction has an SPD designed to meet both current and future demands without costly surprises.

An SPD expert can:

• Evaluate tray complexity and calculate processing times based on IFU requirements.
• Balance equipment needs, such as sinks, ultrasonics, washers and sterilizers, to prevent bottlenecks.
• Plan for critical utilities, including water quality, air handling, weight limitations, floor drains and electrical requirements for second or third-floor installations.
• Recommend solutions for flexible operations, such as “baby sterilizers” for quick one-off cycles.

Bringing in SPD experts early can help ensure that every detail of your new hospital construction project is covered.

Collaboration is key

In addition to SPD experts, the planning team should include representatives from multiple hospital departments. This ensures the design aligns with the hospital’s overall strategic goals.

Key stakeholders include:

• Business development teams: These teams provide insights into future service lines, surgeon recruitment and patient demographics, ensuring the SPD can handle projected growth.
• C-Suite leaders: Executives like the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) or Chief Operating Officer (COO) can advocate for long-term investments and ensure alignment with the hospital’s strategic vision.
• OR leadership: Surgical directors and managers offer firsthand knowledge of procedural workflows and instrument needs.

By fostering collaboration across departments, hospitals can create an SPD design that supports efficiency, compliance and growth.

The cost of excluding key players

Failing to involve the right team can have serious consequences. In one case, a hospital invested $8 million in a new SPD but overlooked water quality standards during the planning phase. Within a year, brand-new equipment was already degrading due to hard water deposits, requiring expensive repairs and replacements.

These mistakes are more than just costly. They also disrupt operations, delay surgeries and frustrate staff. Including the right experts and stakeholders from the start can help prevent these issues, save hospitals money and keep everyone excited for the new construction.

Are you prepared to build a hospital that’s ready for the future?

Building a hospital that’s ready for the future requires careful planning, strategic foresight and the right expertise at the table. While it’s easy to focus on the visible areas of construction, overlooking critical departments like the sterile processing department (SPD) can have long-term consequences. By engaging SPD experts early, you can ensure that every detail is accounted for.

If you are ready to build your SPD team, contact Aesculap and bring us to your planning table. Our consultants specialize in creating efficient, future-ready SPDs that can help save time, money and frustration.