“How Attention to Water Quality and Reprocessing Can Reduce Patient Harm,

Long-Term Costs”

Water that is deemed safe to drink may not be acceptable for sterilizing reusable
surgical devices or reprocessing flexible and semi-rigid endoscopes in healthcare
facilities. Water purity matters, and water quality varies greatly from one location to
another. Imbalances can have significant repercussions on reprocessing when certain
contaminants and chemicals are not removed, so it’s important for sterile processing
personnel to understand how these matters are handled within their organization, and if
not managed well, how they can harm patient outcomes.

Many public water systems include additives such as chlorine, dissolved salts
and naturally occurring mineral contents (hard water). In some cases, organic
contaminants (bacteria and endotoxins), heavy metals, synthetic organic chemicals,
biological parasites and other harmful contaminants can be found in water.

This article has thought me that water quality differs from one location to another.
The water that we use in a daily basis is being filtered and put into process so that it will
become safe and usable for the public, it prevents contamination or any harmful
substances or parasites to be in the water for a long time that may harm the people
using said water.

Reference: Taylor D. (2022, December 12) ““How Attention to Water Quality and
Reprocessing Can Reduce Patient Harm, Long-Term Costs”