This educational activity has been designed for perioperative nurses and managers involved with the sterilization of surgical instruments and supplies. It reviews the history of asepsis, methods of sterilization, and application of various sterilization technologies. In addition, key considerations regarding relevant aspects of the sterilization process will be discussed, including terminal vs "just-in-time" sterilization, packaging and loading, chemical and biological indicators, sterilization monitoring, shelf life, and cost implications.

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