Maintaining Cleanliness and Compliance: Optimizing Materials Management and Supply Room Redesign

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM PT

Location: North Room 226

CE: 1

AEU Credits: 1
CME Credits: 1
CNE Credits: 1
HSPA Credits: 1
IPCH Credits: 1
IPU Credits: 1

Presenter(s)

Leila Nahavandi, MPH, CIC

Infection Preventionist
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

PDF

Co-Presenter(s)

Jane Powell, DNP, RN, CIC, CPHQ

Director Infection Control
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Moderator(s)

JH

Joan N. Hebden, RN, MS, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA (she/her/hers)

Infection Prevention Consultant
IPC Consulting Group LLC
Baltimore, Maryland

Disclosure(s): Cepheid: Speaker/Honoraria (Ongoing); Professional Disposables International (PDI): Consultant/Advisory Board (Ongoing)

Session Description: Materials Management in healthcare involves overseeing the entire lifecycle of essential materials, from acquisition to disposal, ensuring hospital and clinic operations run smoothly. The Joint Commission Standard Infection Prevention and Control (IC) 02.02.01 Element of Performance (EP) 4, which mandates infection control activities while storing medical equipment, devices, and supplies, has become a critical focus during accreditation surveys. This session is valuable for Infection Preventionists at any career stage, providing essential insights into how patient supplies, linens, and equipment are delivered, distributed, and stored in their facilities while preserving the integrity of the materials per regulatory standards.

To meet the IC 02.02.01 EP 4 standard, the presenters developed and implemented a quality improvement (QI) project to standardize the process for storing clean and sterile supplies from delivery to the point of use. A multidisciplinary team, including Materials Management, Infection Control, and Nursing members, spearheaded a supply room redesign project across inpatient and outpatient locations at a comprehensive cancer center. Accreditation agencies have recognized the success of this QI initiative as a best practice, demonstrating the effectiveness of a strong partnership between Materials Management and Infection Prevention. Additionally, participants in this session will be guided through evaluation criteria for storage workspaces intended to reduce the risk of contamination of supplies.

This session will be divided into two discussions. The first half will provide an in-depth look at Joint Commission standard IC 02.02.01 EP 4 and regulatory expectations for patient supplies, linens, and equipment storage. The second half will outline steps taken during a QI initiative to ensure staff education and training, the redesign process of workspaces, strategies used for successful implementation, and practical tips for maintaining regulatory compliance. Attendees will leave with the knowledge needed to replicate and sustain similar projects in their facilities.

Learning Objectives:

Understand Joint Commission Standard Infection Prevention and Control 02.02.01 Element of Performance 4 and identify common non-compliant surveyor findings in materials management and storage workspaces during environment of care rounds.
Outline effective strategies for redesigning materials management workspaces and supply rooms to reduce contamination risks in the participants’ facilities.
Develop and implement a robust staff training and auditing program of materials management workspaces and supply rooms to ensure adherence to infection control regulatory standards.