A strong start before summer

Even before the summer holidays of 2024, the entire CSU cleaning team at Tergooi MC was trained to work with SAM. For many employees, it was their first introduction to a fully autonomous disinfection robot; exciting, but above all educational. During the training sessions, there was extensive focus on real-life practice: what happens if someone enters the room while SAM is working, and can the robot continue autonomously while you clean another room? These questions were discussed in detail and answered step by step, allowing curiosity to quickly outweigh any initial tension.

In the weeks that followed, SAM was tested in the operating rooms and work processes were further refined. Cleaning staff and OR staff were able to get used to the new way of working and experience how SAM functioned in practice. The focus was not only on safety and ease of use, but also on an important shared objective of both Tergooi MC and CSU: reducing the use of chemical agents. With SAM, they aimed to move toward a more sustainable way of disinfecting, without compromising quality or hygiene.

According to Mikel Bakker, this period was crucial for aligning everything properly. “Together with Kim Jalink from Infection Prevention and Aad de Best, Head of the OR, we looked at how SAM could best be embedded in the daily routine. We made agreements about handovers, communication, and responsibilities, so everyone knew what was expected of them.”

This meant that everything was ready to fully integrate the robot into the daily OR process after the summer holidays.

Fully operational within a week

At the beginning of September, things got underway immediately. From that moment on, SAM has been running at full capacity: all twelve operating rooms are disinfected daily from Monday to Friday. An impressive achievement, especially for a hospital where the robot had only just been introduced.

According to Mikel, this success was mainly due to strong ownership on the work floor. The day-to-day management of SAM lies with Mustafa, team lead cleaning at CSU, who carefully structured the robot’s use.

“We deliberately chose that everyone had to work with SAM,” Mikel explains. “

Not just a few enthusiastic colleagues, but the entire team. Mustafa tracked who worked with the robot, scheduled everyone, and addressed people if a session was missed. That way, usage remained high and the whole team built experience.”

This consistent approach ensured that within a few weeks everyone could work independently with SAM. “Everyone had to do it, so it naturally became routine,” says Mikel.

“Not as a form of control, but to make sure everyone felt ownership. As a result, SAM quickly became a fixed part of daily work.”

The collaboration with the operating rooms and Infection Prevention played a major role in this. Thanks to the short lines with Kim Jalink and Aad de Best, the transition was calm and well structured. “Because everyone knew what was expected of them, things actually went well from day one,” Mikel says.

Short lines and trust in practice

Another key element of the success is the collaboration between CSU, Tergooi MC, and Loop Robots. From day one, there has been a shared WhatsApp group in which cleaners, team leaders, and technicians are in direct contact. Questions, notifications, and photos are shared, and malfunctions are addressed immediately.

“It doesn’t matter what time it is, there’s always a response,” says Mikel. “If there’s an error message or a lamp isn’t working properly, it’s dealt with right away. And if it’s something major, they bring a new robot the next day and take the old one with them.”

These short lines also keep the threshold to work with SAM low. Employees know they can always turn to someone, which makes any initial tension quickly disappear.

“In the beginning you sometimes hear: ‘I don’t dare touch it, what if I break something.’ But that feeling disappears within a few weeks. People notice that it works and that help is close by. Trust grows naturally.”

Results you can see and feel

The benefits of SAM are now clearly visible in daily practice. According to Aad de Best, Head of the OR, the gains are significant.

“We have more than achieved our goal of reducing the use of chemicals,” he says. “In addition, we work faster because there is no longer any drying time required. That makes the process more efficient and more pleasant for everyone in the OR.”

Kim Jalink from Infection Prevention also sees the impact. “With SAM, we know for sure that every part of the room is covered. You reach all those small corners and touchpoints much better, and on top of that, the sustainability aspect that we’re working on at Tergooi MC is incredibly important.”

Annually, more than 2,500 disinfections are now carried out with virtually no chemicals. The savings are substantial, both in materials and in time. “Just do the math,” Mikel says with a smile. “That’s not only sustainable, it’s also simply smart organization.”

The success in the operating rooms leaves everyone wanting more. Together with Infection Prevention, expansion toward the nursing wards is being explored, where SAM can make the same contribution to hygiene, speed, and sustainability.

“We’ve shown that it works,” says Mikel. “Now it’s time to take the next step.”

Ownership as the key to success

For Mikel, the success of SAM at Tergooi MC is above all proof that ownership and collaboration make the difference. “The technology is important, but in the end it’s about people,” he says.

“If you make sure everyone knows their role, keep the lines short, and give trust, things will work out naturally.”

He looks back with pride on what has been achieved in such a short time. “We started with something new, right in the middle of a complex environment, and within a few weeks everything was running as if it had always been this way. That’s the result of a team that takes responsibility, holds each other accountable, and wants to move forward together.”

By now, employees truly see SAM as a colleague. It’s no longer a project or an experiment, but simply part of our daily work.