Now is the time to transform inventory systems in the Operating Room (OR), and clinicians are eager to collaborate. So where to begin? Follow these helpful steps to turn inventory management from a “necessary evil” to an essential ally.
1. Loop in OR clinicians.
Turns out they recognize the benefits of automated inventory management systems, including cost reduction, more time to focus on patients, and tools that support better patient outcomes. And while OR clinicians trust the quality of their organization’s inventory management processes, the majority (77 percent) would like more input into those decisions.
They are also aligned with reducing costs… almost half (42 percent) of surgeons and nurses say “Saving money helps all of us” and three-quarters (77 percent) agree that equivalent—or even better— patient care can be maintained while reducing costs.
2. Evaluate your current state and identify potential barriers.
Nearly half (46 percent) of respondents say their OR has its own inventory management system—but only one in five (19 percent) are automated. Where does your organization’s inventory management system fall?
What’s holding your organization back from moving to automation? Respondents of the survey noted the top barrier as perceived costs of a new system. Are there any other barriers you are currently facing, or that you expect might cause challenges in the future? Prepare for questions speedbumps by addressing these in your plan.
3. Draft your plan for automation.
Remember to be realistic in the timing of the plan and include all the parties that will be a part of the decision. Be sure to address potential barriers in the plan upfront in the process. Use the data points outlined below to help assess your situation and what manual tasks may be costing your hospital. Use direct feedback and anecdotes from clinical and supply chain staff to help make your case.
- Waste: Sixty-four percent of survey respondents see increasing supply chain documentation requirements and wasting or overuse of supplies as significant problems within the organization. And the fear of not having needed supplies compels half (51 percent) of OR clinicians to hoard supplies to ensure they have what they need to care for their patients, which contributes to inventory bloat and expiration.
- Burnout & Turnover: When OR surgeons and nurses were asked to name the most stressful part of their jobs, the number one reply was too much paperwork (26 percent), followed by not having enough time for patients (23 percent). More than half (51 percent) complain of too many manual inventory processes.
- Patient Safety: Seventy-three percent of OR surgeons and nurses recall a time when a physician didn’t have the product needed for a procedure during the procedure. Twenty-seven percent of respondents have seen or heard of an expired product being used on a patient, and twenty-three percent have seen or heard of a patient experiencing an adverse event due to a lack of supplies.
- Case Delays and Cancellations: Fifty- seven percent of respondents knew of a time their organization had to borrow supplies from another hospital. Sixty-nine percent of stakeholders knew of a time their organization had to delay a case because the right supplies were not on hand, and forty percent knew of cases being canceled due to missing supplies.
4. State your case.
It’s time to present your plan. Be sure to tailor your presentation to fit the preferences of your audience, review the data points in advance, and anticipate questions. Consider including a list of actionable next steps to help your audience visualize the path toward automation. You can even break it down by starting in one department, expanding to the rest of that hospital and then to the rest of the IDN so it’s easier to implement and accept the transformation.
About Cardinal Health Hospital Supply Chain Survey
This study was fielded Nov. 2 - Nov. 15, 2017, using an online survey methodology. The samples were drawn from SERMO’s Online Respondent Panel of Health Care Providers, which includes over 600,000 medical professionals in the United States. The study included 305 respondents total from health care organizations varying in size, specialty and practice area. Respondents included frontline clinicians (n=128), operating room supply chain decision-makers (n=100), and hospital/supply chain administrators (n=77). All survey data is on file at Cardinal Health.