Nancy Aelick - Vice President

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VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE – January 2013

Nancy Aelick

Happy New Year to All:

As the Vice President of the Provincial CSAO Executive, it is a privilege to have a seat on the Canadian Standards Association. The following is an overview of what the CSA has been working on: Z314.00 Medical Device Reprocessing – General Guidelines: New Standard This has gone to public review and will be balloted in January 2013 by the Technical committee and should be for sale by March 2013. Contents:

• Quality Management System (QMS)
• Evaluation and purchase of reusable medical devices and reprocessing equipment
• Personnel
• Routine infection prevention and control practices
• Attire
• Work areas and equipment
• Reprocessing principles
• Process verification, monitoring, and adverse events

All sections covered in Z314.00 will be removed from the other standards so that any over arching items will always be consistent.

Z314.8 Decontamination is being rewritten and will be sent for public review in Spring 2013 with the document published in Fall 2013. This document will have a more intense decontamination section and flexible scope section. The items covered in Z314.00 will be removed from this document.

Z314.3 Steam Sterilization will start to be worked in January 2013 with publication in 2014. The items covered in Z314.00 will be removed from this document.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE: I would like to encourage you all to plan to attend the 2013 Annual Conference. The new executive have taken careful consideration to what the members have been asking for and we have an exciting line up of All Canadian Content and Speakers . The Conference will begin on Sunday, September 8, starting with workshops that pertain to our profession as medical device reprocessing technicians. And don't forget to take advantage of the early bird discount pricing.

CONSTITUTION: 2013 is also the Constitutional year, where you as members get to review the constitution and make any necessary changes. Please review the constitution and input your feed back, as per article 12: http://www.csao.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Sept-2011-constitution1.pdf.

This is your association. It is member driven, so make your voice heard!