Supplies in bag and Car

[smlentzrn]

I have been a home health nurse for almost two years now and may be making the move towards being the Clinical Coordinator for my agency in the next few months. I am trying to get some planning done now towards things I want to improve for my agency. I believe one big problem is that there is no standard to what we keep in our bag and our car. This makes the nurses have to come into the office to get everything every day. I don't want the nurses to have their trunks full of supplies because I know that things will expire that way. I want a good supply list for every nurse to have so that when they go to a patient's home and need something unexpectedly they will have it in the car. What are your suggestions? Here is my list so far:

Car Stock:

Item: Qty:

Add a foley 1

16 french catheter 1

Straight cath kit 1

Sterile specimen cup 2

Blue tube 2

Purple top 2

Gold top 2

Butterfly 2

Tourinquet 2

Cotton ball 10

Biohazard bag 2

4x4 10

ABD 4

Skin prep 4

Duoderm 2

Long q-tip 5

Paper ruler 5

NS 2

Sterile water 2

Tegaderm small 2

Tegaderm large 1

Paper tape 1 inch 1

Paper tape 2 inch 1

Kling 3 inch 2

Kerlix 2

[I<3H2O, BSN, RN]

I hope that this does not sound rude but I think you are leaning towards micromanaging. If the nurses know they can have supplies in their car but choose not to therefore come into the office daily for supplies why would this be a bother for you? I can have supplies in my car but I don't WANT to keep them in there. I have VERY few things and I do go to the office daily. It doesn't bother me any and it quite possibly doesn't bother the other other nurses either. Even if you create a list and have them put this stuff in the car, they will use it and then forget to restock thus end up in the office getting supplies. I just don't see it as necessary.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

Gotta agree. When I worked HH I wanted to carry a MINIMUM amount of supplies so I wouldn't have to waste my time keeping track of dated inventory I might or might not use. I had ultra-basics in a bag - vitals kit, wound care supplies, gloves & chux. Each day I'd look at my roster, then pick up stuff I needed in addition to the basics at the office for those patients that day. It was FAR easier that way, I dunno if anyone else feels this way.

Also, have you done any research before you made these lists? Survey your nurses to see what THEY think or need? Talk with other experienced coordinators or even other companies to see what worked/didn't work for them? Look for any studies about home health quality and how it's affected by supplies/equipment? Consult with your state licensure board or ombudsman to find out if there are minimum standards for compliance? Did you run a CBA and ROI with projection with this idea?

I highly recommend you do data collection like this before implementing any standardization. I dunno, maybe you did, but you didn't mention it.

[jmn126]

We start all of our urses off with a "starter kit" for their trunks, i think it is a very good idea, when you get out to a bime a d need something and dont have it you will necer not have it again. Dnt forget the infection control things like gowns, spill kit, etc!

[SuzieVN]

Micromanaging, yes- but if you're going to do that, your personal supply list is awfully inadequate.

[salvadordolly]

If I kept supplies in my car, and I have, my kids just play with them and tear everything up! At my agency, we found it too expensive to do that because a lot of the supplies were never used and just expired.

[smlentzrn]

I hope that this does not sound rude but I think you are leaning towards micromanaging. If the nurses know they can have supplies in their car but choose not to therefore come into the office daily for supplies why would this be a bother for you? I can have supplies in my car but I don't WANT to keep them in there. I have VERY few things and I do go to the office daily. It doesn't bother me any and it quite possibly doesn't bother the other other nurses either. Even if you create a list and have them put this stuff in the car they will use it and then forget to restock thus end up in the office getting supplies. I just don't see it as necessary.[/quote']

It is a bother when you have to waste time to come into the office to get things. We are paid by the hour not by the visit. I am not meaning their supplies for their planned visits by the way. I mean to have supplies they would need if they got into a home and discovered a new wound or needed to draw blood or collect a urine sample. We are trying to control costs and also know how much money is riding around with nurses.