Healthcare
Getting SPD Teams to the Table: Why Sterile Processing Deserves a Central Role in Surgical Planning and Operations
Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) remain the backbone of safe surgical care, yet across the country, they’re still routinely left out of early decision-making around products, construction, staffing, and case planning. As hospitals juggle tighter margins, higher patient acuity, and growing procedural demands, the consequences of excluding SPD voices become unmistakably real—showing up in daily…
Key takeaways
SPDs are routinely excluded from early decision-making in surgical planning, product selection, and facility design despite their central role in patient safety.
Excluding SPD input leads to real operational consequences including case delays, instrument shortages, and increased infection risk.
Elevating SPD teams as strategic partners — not just support staff — can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen surgical outcomes.
Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) remain the backbone of safe surgical care, yet across the country, they’re still routinely left out of early decision-making around products, construction, staffing, and case planning. As hospitals juggle tighter margins, higher patient acuity, and growing procedural demands, the consequences of excluding SPD voices become unmistakably real—showing up in daily workloads, rising stress, and risks to patient care. Misalignment between SPD and the OR has already led to inefficiencies, delays, and even high-dollar liability cases in recent years.
How can healthcare organizations ensure SPD teams finally get the visibility, influence, and collaboration they need to support safer, more efficient surgical operations?
That question sits at the center of this episode of ConCensis. Host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale, speaks with healthcare writer and journalist Kara L. Nadeau to explore her recent reporting on why hospital leaders must give SPDs a meaningful seat at the table. Their discussion explores the root causes of SPD invisibility, the organizational risks of ignoring their expertise, and the practical steps hospitals can begin taking today to close communication gaps across departments.
Top insights from the talk…
- Where SPDs are excluded—and why it matters: From supply chain purchasing to construction planning to surgical case scheduling, Nadeau details the systemic blind spots that keep SPDs out of essential conversations, often until it’s too late.
- The role of data in SPD advocacy: SPD professionals widely report lacking the analytics needed to justify staffing, equipment upgrades, workflow changes, or operational needs to leadership—a gap that directly impacts patient safety and efficiency.
- How hospitals can build cross-department champions: Nadeau highlights examples of organizations where perioperative leaders, infection prevention teams, and executives proactively champion SPD involvement—and how simple actions, like executive walkthroughs, can transform understanding overnight.
Kara L. Nadeau is a veteran healthcare writer and journalist with more than 20 years of experience translating complex clinical, operational, and financial topics into clear, impactful content for the healthcare industry. She serves as a senior contributing editor for Healthcare Purchasing News and Medical Laboratory Observer, specializing in sterile processing, supply chain, perioperative services, and clinical laboratory trends. As founder of KLN Communications, she partners with healthcare organizations—from medical device companies to health systems—to produce research-driven thought leadership, case studies, and executive-level storytelling.
Article written by MarketScale.
About the author
Daniel Litwin is a journalist of multiple disciplines focused on finding and telling engaging stories for B2B communities. He has interviewed executives from Fortune 500 companies including Honeywell, Microsoft, John Deere, and Chipotle, and leads editorial direction at MarketScale. Litwin hosts weekly shows and podcasts while helping develop new content approaches across the MarketScale platform. He holds a B.J. in Radio/Television Reporting/Anchoring and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
