is your unit running out of supplies too?

[corky1272RN]

My unit seems to always be running out of supplies. I mean supplies always needed: gloves, 4x4, 2x2, dialyzers, even toilet paper. We usually borrow or buy from a store, I would think that would cost more . One of the other charge nurses told me that she came in one morn and had no gloves, the techs were cannulating without gloves!! she was giving meds and doing catheters without gloves. :eek:The AA brought gloves when she finally got there. I would have never done that, gloves are to protect us and them. Anyway, I just wanted to find out if my unit is the only one.

[krups]

What company do you work for? I can't imagine working under those conditions. We have supply carts on the unit, and a stock room if we need more.

[masaya]

Hi,i think you need to do a written report of whats going on in your unit,to be forwarded to the higher manager of your institution.This is not acceptable as per infection control policy.Whether you are in a hospital setting,clinic setting,or dailysis center,to perform such procedures is not acceptable.Your very own patient will complaint about it.Take good care of your selves,and patients too.Goodluck,thanks.

[corky1272RN]

Well the head of the facility (the FA) knows because she has to go borrow from other units. There is supposedly a template to use when ordering but I guess she hasn't been using it. Anyway, the MD over the facility has come down hard on the fact that we had been running out of a special dialysate, we haven't run out anymore because she has gone to borrow from another unit. Very sad. We have supplies out on the floor that we stock and a stockroom. That has not stopped us from running out.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

Your FA needs to get her act together- she is endangering her staff.

[Tish88]

If your FA knows that this is going on - my next step would be to notify OSHA and the DOH!

It is a law that they have to provide you protection against blood borne pathogens!

I would not put my life's safety on the line because I didn't have gloves, masks, eye protection etc.

This is a MAJOR reportable violation.

That clinic is lucky none of their patients contacted their network or the DOH and reported them for staff cannulating without gloves on.

[bluemartian, BSN]

Sounds like your clinic is trying to increase their bottom line at the expense of supplies

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

Sounds like your clinic is trying to increase their bottom line at the expense of supplies

More like at the expense of the safety and well-being of their pts and staff.

[workingmomRN]

Try stocking some supplies in a cabinet or somewhere that will not be counted when the AA is counting stock. We keep an emergency stash in the PD room with a few boxes of gloves, 2x2s,etc. The end of the month is the worst time to run out. Our AA is really good at keeping us in stock, but she gets really frustrated because she sayes that they get jumped on by corporate for having too much stock on hand each month, but policy sayes that each unit should have at least a week's worth of supplies in stock. You can't do it both ways. Your FA should be on top of this issue, especially the staff working without gloves. The state DOH would really have a time with that!

[corky1272RN]

I was talking about the ordering issue yesterday with my FA. She told me that the AA uses a "tool" that takes in acct how pts/caths/accesses/etc and says ok you need this amt of this. But I told her that there needs to be a little flexibility because some clinics use more of some things than others. Ex. our clinic uses Except to clean the sites before cannulation but some clinics use alcohol or betadine instead--facility or tech preference. So that tool can't say facility A and facility B need the same amt of alcohol! What do you think?

[anurseadvocate]

goodness, what company is this? So much for patient safety first, eh?

[Tish88]

Well the head of the facility (the FA) knows because she has to go borrow from other units. There is supposedly a template to use when ordering but I guess she hasn't been using it. Anyway, the MD over the facility has come down hard on the fact that we had been running out of a special dialysate, we haven't run out anymore because she has gone to borrow from another unit. Very sad. We have supplies out on the floor that we stock and a stockroom. That has not stopped us from running out.

Why don't you go to the Medical Director of the facility next and let him/her know that you are running out of supplies? You stated that you even run out of dialyzers; then how do the patients even receive a treatment with a dialyzer?

The Med. Dir was concerned about the dialysate, maybe they would also be concerned about the patient care supplies too.

How often does your clinic order supplies?