What's your most ridiculous supply shortage?

Updated:   Published

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I'll start:

*FFP (fresh frozen plasma)--instead for a time we were giving Factor VII for DIC

*NG feeding tubes--we're leaving in the 24-hr ones in for days, and rinsing/reusing the 30-day ones that get accidentally pulled out

*IV lipids--we had to give a lipid alternative

*Not super crucial, but bathtub liners for the little portable multi-patient bathtub that we use to bathe our neonates--we lined the tub with trash bags instead

It's rough out there. How are you guys holding up?

Specializes in CNA, Nursing Student.

Not a big deal but we were out of saline flushes for days and had to make our own. Pain in the ***.

We're always out of slings for beds (for the sky lift, every patient on my unit is supposed to have one). We ran out of coffee yesterday, that was mass chaos. I've never been insulted more in a single shift. 

Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

We're also always out of bed slings. And when they are restocked we usually run out right before the 450lb patient is admitted. 

We keep running out of safety tip syringes.

(We don't have any coffee on our unit anyway- but I can see that being a problem on a general unit.)

I'm in primary care and do all the ordering for the office. Right now, the plastic forks are on backorder; the large garbage bags for our big garbage in the break room - can't get any of those. 18 gauge 1.5 inch needles are a no go. Lab can't send vacutaner urine cups, they sent little jars that look more like jelly jars than urine cups. I have no allocation left of 25 g 1.5 inch needles for some reason, have to look in to that one. Also can't get lidocaine with epi right now. That is all I can think of from my last order.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Pillows. The whole hospital. Always ran out of pillows. It was normally bad. Then sometimes they'd order pillows without plastic covers that had to be discarded after every patient. Made it worse. Patients wouln't even have a pillow for their head. =(

Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

One of my clients (private duty home care) told me their supply company told them that O2 supplies were low. My client didn't receive all the E-tanks that they usually get for their child.

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
On 12/11/2021 at 11:54 AM, CalicoKitty said:

Pillows.

I am a little OCD about pillows!! I will walk down a hallway and if I see extras on an empty bed, I take them to my unit!  I work on an ortho unit and we are always in need of pillows for elevation. 

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.
1 hour ago, mmc51264 said:

I am a little OCD about pillows!! I will walk down a hallway and if I see extras on an empty bed, I take them to my unit!  I work on an ortho unit and we are always in need of pillows for elevation. 

Empty beds usually had no pillows.. I'd have to search through closets in all the rooms hoping to find one. Not always successful. First empty rooms, but then I'd hunt occupied rooms. I'd go to every unit in the hospital (I knew where all the supply rooms were and their door codes). Pillows for elevation would be like a dream. That's just a pile of blankets.

Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
1 hour ago, mmc51264 said:

I am a little OCD about pillows!! I will walk down a hallway and if I see extras on an empty bed, I take them to my unit!  I work on an ortho unit and we are always in need of pillows for elevation. 

I used to work on a unit that was only open 7a until around 9 or 10p. It was not uncommon for us to have pillows missing in the morning. Not cool.

Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

Isolation gowns. Reusable, disposable, whatever. My hospital uses reusable ones and they just aren't being laundered fast enough to keep up.

Mint green lab tubes.

Common sense.

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