Australia's first Central Sterilising Department robot will ensure a safer and healthier workplace for staff at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
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From this week, the CSD robot will begin cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical instruments.
Health Minister Sarah Courtney said $2.8 million had been invested across the entire CSD to ensure state-of-the-art infection control procedures at the hospital.
She said the robot would deliver better outcomes for staff by reducing the risk of workplace injuries.
"Automated vehicles will support staff by delivering around 100,000 packed hospital instrument trays to the new sterilisers. This will help to reduce staff injury by removing the need for repetitious lifting," Ms Courtney said.
"This is the first time any hospital in Australia has used the robot."
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Ms Courtney said the new CSD area in the RHH's K-Block replaced another sterilising area in the hospital.
"The modern CSD has significantly more space than the old unit and has equipment new to the RHH including an automated chemical dosing system, de-boxing area, dedicated state-of-the-art loan-set equipment room and electronic instrument tracker," she said.
"The CSD supports the existing nine operating theatres and inpatient and outpatient services in the RHH and five new operating theatres, a procedure room, angiography and the cardiac cath lab in K-Block along with several other health facilities in Hobart.
The CSD has three precincts: the dirty area that includes the decontamination areas, washers and dryers; the clean area which includes storage, assembly areas, sterilisers; and the cooling and sterile stock area."