It’s important to utilize the medications and supplies you paid for instead of letting them go to waste. For years, we checked our emergency carts for expired supplies and medications on a monthly basis. Items would be left in the carts until they were no longer useable, at which time we disposed of them. We now remove supply items a month before they expire. That way, we can exchange items early on the cart, and use the soon-to-expire items before having to throw them out. We don’t take those items to the supply room, though. Instead, they’re taken to a designated area, so staff pull them first when preparing for a case. Medications, meanwhile, are returned to our center’s pharmacy so they can be prioritized and used. We’ve found that isolating older items with plenty of time left to use them is a money-saving strategy.
Valerie Heckmaster, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR
AdventHealth Surgery Center Lenexa (Kan.)
[email protected]