By Michelle Day, MSN BSN RN CGRN, former Practice Committee Chair and
Cynthia M. Friis, MEd BSN RN-BC, Associate Executive Director of Clinical Affairs
Q: How does SGNA create its practice documents?
A: The development of practice documents includes two processes: the creation of new documents and the revision of current documents. The Practice Committee conducts a thorough review of research for both processes and meets to discuss the documents in great detail. A description of these processes can be found on the SGNA Web site in the form of a one-page outline as well as a webinar.
Q: Why does it take so long for SGNA to release a practice document?
A: The process takes some time due to the nature of the research and the many steps in our process. Several sets of eyes are involved in the review and approval process. In addition to the Practice Committee, the SGNA Board of Directors and an independent copy editor reviews the work to ensure quality.
Q: Hang time is an issue that is important to me and my unit. Why doesn’t SGNA have a practice document about hang time?
A: The interval of storage after which endoscopes should be reprocessed before use, sometimes termed hangtime or shelf life, has been the subject of limited investigations (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quality Assurance in Endoscopy Committee et al., 2011). As recognized by the Multisociety Guideline on Reprocessing Flexible Gastrointestinal Endoscopes: 2011, this remains an unresolved issue that warrants further study. Until such time as there’s sufficient evidence to support SGNA establishing a position statement or practice guideline, we maintain our position. For additional information, you may want to review the Multisociety Guideline here.
Q: Why doesn’t SGNA always have a position statement or practice guideline on the things that are important to my day-to-day work?
A: The SGNA Practice Committee keeps abreast of research and evidence-based practice in many practice regards. Once the research is available to warrant the development of a practice document, SGNA will look to do so.
Reference
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quality Assurance in Endoscopy Committee, Petersen, B. T., Chennat, J., Cohen, J., Cotton, P. B., Greenwald, D. A., Kowalski, T. E., Krinsky, M. L., Park, W. G., Pike, I. M., Romagnuolo, J., & Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Rutala, W. A. (2011). Multisociety guideline on reprocessing flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 73(6), 1075-1084.