The size of a central sterile supply department must be adapted individually to the needs (the respective fields of the hospital, the latest ground plans and the needed equipment, etc.) of the hospital.

To make sure there is an efficient workflow in a CSSD, a demand calculation is recommended. It is possible to make an estimation based on the number of operation rooms, but to get a more reliable calculation it is recommended to get the number of surgeries with specialty and beds. The demand calculation gives the number of needed machines and makes sure the barriers are equal in capacity.

It is also important to plan for the future. A future demand calculation can be made to see future needs and the future equipment is added to the layout. It is easy to add equipment when more capacity is needed, with minor stop in production and less cost.

A real-life implementation begins with an observation and understanding of real-world workflow. In order to establish work sequences starting in the planning phase, workflows have been created for the staff, washer disinfectors, sterilizers and material. These are helpful for designing an efficient workflow within the department.

The planning in this example drawing, is based on the assumption of 10 working hours a day for the department. The capacity utilization of the devices is about 70%.