I GOTTA KNOW!!!!!

[qaqueen]

Has anybody else heard about the "nationwide urinal shortage" (the type used in hospitals)? This was announced at work, we are to make sure that urinals are appropriate for patients.

We should also consider using a basin or emesis bag as alternatives, if urinals are not available.

So, I did a web search...no results. Checked with the FDA...nada. Looked at specific manufacturers, not a word.

So what do YOU know?

I think management just doesn't want us wasting product making Xmas urinal wreaths.

If you have any info, I am dying to hear it.

Thanks and Seasons Greetings

[sarahlee33]

We got that information last night in our pre-shift huddle! And we thought the same thing about the wreaths!

[benegesserit]

My manager specifically mentioned the urinal shortage in the weekly State of the Unit email. I think the problem is real. Now we have had random shortages of lasix, dilaudid and other drugs over the years, but this is a first encountering patient equipment.

Well, combining a lasix shortage and a urinal shortage just might work out.

[JBudd, MSN]

I thought this was crazy until last week when I went in to work. We were stocked with the orange/brown 24 hour collection bottles for use as urinals.

[babyb0o]

Here in Connecticut we are having the same issue! Instead of plastic we are resorting to a cardboard one time use urinal until we can find another company. No one knows how long this will last . we have graduated cylinders and basins that are plastic but it's just the urinals that we are having an issue

[Sour Lemon]

I thought this was CRAZY-DUMB when I first read it, but when I went to work this Friday, the urinals were GONE. There were little green bags with green plastic rings around the top of them that stated they were urinal substitutes "until further notice". They don't stand up on their own, at all. They look similar to a bag one would be given to vomit in ...now that I think about it, maybe that's what they are?

[jchatlvn2010]

That's what they are telling us at our job. They have given us things that look like a unrinal made out of egg crate type material?

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

We haven't had an issue over here but then I have seen where hospitals have had "shortages" of one med in one state and ten minutes away in a different state we had no issues. One example was toradol. We had to use 60 mg of toradol recently.

[Mhedgcock]

There was a fire in one of the main suppiler plants. I know someone who works with contracts for hospitals.