Programme

Session 2.2.3

Using Microbiological Surveillance to Drive Continuous Improvement in Endoscope Reprocessing

Date: 13 Oct 2026 | Time: 1530 - 1550 | Venue: Level 1, L1-S1, Academia

Speaker: Ms Gabrielle Chia

Ensuring safe and effective endoscope reprocessing is fundamental to infection prevention. At Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team established a structured microbiological surveillance programme to strengthen quality assurance, detect early lapses, and drive continuous improvement across the endoscope reprocessing workflow.

This session will share TTSH’s experience in designing and operationalising this framework, including examples where surveillance findings uncovered reprocessing deficiencies and potential contamination risks. These objective data points enabled the IPC team to collaborate closely with clinical units, reprocessing staff, vendor service centres, and hospital leadership to implement targeted interventions and system-level enhancements.

Beyond routine monitoring, the programme generated insights with broader organisational impact—such as identifying gaps in scope reprocessing, detecting biofilm build‑up within the endoscope or the Automated Endoscope Reprocessor (AER), and uncovering issues following post‑repair servicing. Surveillance trends also helped recognise scope‑specific microbiological patterns that may indicate device deterioration or approach of end‑of‑life.

These learnings demonstrate that microbiological surveillance is more than a compliance activity; it is a powerful, data‑driven mechanism that elevates patient safety, informs procurement and lifecycle decisions, and strengthens institutional readiness. Participants will gain practical perspectives on using surveillance data not only to detect issues early, but also to drive meaningful and collaborative improvements across the endoscope reprocessing ecosystem.

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