PLAYING THE ODDS – ISSUE NO. 168

I am a subscriber to a number of LinkedIn discussion groups, including the Sterile Processing Professional group. Much of the discussion, of course, has to deal with the sterile processing issues - great and small. But once in a while, someone will throw in a topic that is, well, off topic. Last week, someone posted a poll - between 4 teams and "other" from which members were to pick the one they think will win the Superbowl. Timing is obvious for such a poll: football season is right around the corner. Football is my favorite spectator sport. I have had season tickets for University of Michigan football since 1987. I do not have a rooting interest in the NFL, but love the game. I am in front of the TV every Sunday afternoon. The addition of the Red Zone Channel has greatly improved my viewing experience! The 4 teams presented in the poll are all serious contenders. But the fact is, there were a few teams not listed that have an equal chance (Pittsburgh Steelers, for instance). The modern NFL is almost a random walk. Look at last year. Did many think the Giants would win it all, given the mediocre season they had? But that is the NFL today - many teams have a reasonable chance to win it all. So what was my answer to the poll? "Other" of course. I was playing the odds. In decontam, we play the odds every day. We are surrounded by contaminated, sharp instruments combined with water and heat and physical obstacles. How do we get the odds in our favor? We do things the right way: We wear proper PPE. We follow the manufacturer's IFU's. And we stay competent with the proper functioning of the tools and equipment we use.