SPD

abbreviationStandard termShop Slang

The sterile processing department is the central facility in a hospital where medical instruments are cleaned.

Sterile Processing Department. The centralized area in a healthcare facility responsible for cleaning, decontaminating, sterilizing, and distributing medical instruments and equipment. Workers in this area ensure that surgical tools are safe for reuse, operating heavy autoclaves and chemical wash stations.

Heard on the job

Send these trays down to SPD immediately so they can get them turned around for the afternoon surgeries.