Traveler Utilization in U.S. Sterile Processing Departments: A Seven-State Cross-Sectional Workforce Dataset (2023 to 2024).

This dataset accompanies a cross-sectional comparative analysis of temporary staffing (traveler) utilization in hospital sterile processing departments across seven U.S. states (Indiana, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas). It contains aggregated, de-identified workforce data from 119 healthcare facilities representing 8,887 full-time equivalent positions and 281 traveling sterile processing professionals. The package includes state-level staffing summaries, Pearson and subgroup correlation results, ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey comparisons, a simple linear regression model of traveler count on FTE count, qualitative drivers of traveler utilization reported by participating facilities, cost impact distributions among facilities using travelers, and reported integration strategies for temporary staff. Data were collected through a standardized survey distributed uniformly to all participating facilities, supplemented by structured interviews with facility administrators and sterile processing department managers. The response rate was 78 percent (119 of 150 distributed surveys). All values are reported exactly as published in the companion manuscript. The dataset is intended to support secondary analysis, cross-study comparison, and workforce planning research in sterile processing and related healthcare disciplines.