Gibotech performs 3D scanning of the central sterilization department

Have you ever seen a central sterilization department at a hospital? It’s the department where they wash, inspect, and sterilize all used surgical equipment—and store it until it’s needed again.

Unless you actually work in a central sterilization department, you’ve probably never seen the inside of one.

But now you can. Gibotech has had a 3D scan created of the central sterilization department at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel Campus.

View the 3D scan here

See all automation options

In the 3D scan, you can see the different sections of a central sterilization department: the dirty, the clean, and the sterile.

In the cleanroom and sterile areas, Gibotech has installed various automation solutions to assist employees in their daily work.

For example, there are workstations that automatically adjust to suit each individual employee. Warehouses equipped with robots that place and retrieve equipment when employees place an order in the system—and the warehouse’s IT system keeps track of which equipment is on which shelves.

There are AGVs that transport equipment between the various workstations; for example, from the washing machine to the workbench, where an employee inspects the instruments to ensure they are still functioning properly.

And the large yellow robot over in the corner is tasked with sorting wire baskets containing instruments by weight and size before they are sent on to the autoclave, where they are sterilized, and then to the sterile storage room.

Each item can be expanded to reveal more information about the specific solution.

Partially or fully automated

When selecting automation solutions for a central sterilization department—or any other department—you can choose to go with the full package or just a few specific solutions that meet your needs.

The adjustable workstations will, in and of themselves, improve working conditions for employees because they can be adjusted in height and the lighting can be customized. And the AGVs alone will still save employees the time and effort of moving equipment from one place to another.

No matter what you choose, implementing an automation solution will reduce the workload on employees and lead to a more efficient workflow, because the automation solution performs the same task continuously; it doesn’t switch to another task or take a lunch break.

The 3D scan was created in collaboration with EUC Lillebælt.