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Important Risk and Safety Information for Gebauer’s Pain Ease® and Gebauer’s Ethyl Chloride®:

Do not spray in eyes. Over spraying may cause frostbite. Freezing may alter skin pigmentation. Use caution when using product on persons with poor circulation. The thawing process may be painful and freezing may lower resistance to infection and delay healing. If skin irritation develops, discontinue use. CAUTION: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a licensed healthcare practitioner.

Gebauer’s Pain Ease Only:

Apply only to intact oral mucous membranes. Do not use on genital mucous membranes. Consult your pediatrician when using on children 4 years old and younger.

Gebauer’s Ethyl Chloride Only:

Published clinical trial results support the use in children 3 years of age and older. Ethyl chloride is FLAMMABLE and should never be used in the presence of an open flame or electrical cautery equipment. Use in a well-ventilated area. Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating or inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal. Do not spray in eyes. Over application of the product may lead to frostbite and/or altered skin pigmentation. Cutaneous sensitization may occur, but appears to be extremely rare. CAUTION: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a licensed healthcare practitioner.

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Maintaining Nursing Inventory Supply: A Nurse Leader’s Guide

By: Bethany Nock | On: March 31, 2016
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nursing-inventory-supply.jpgYou know that frustrating feeling when you are looking for a gauze pad, but you can’t find it? And it turns out you can’t find it because it is listed under New Gauze or the manufacturer of the product on your inventory list? (We can almost see you nodding your head right now.) All you want to do is take care of your patient, but inventory management is making it difficult.

Maintaining supplies may be an essential part of your job as a nurse leader, but we understand it can be hard to keep up with inventory management (or influence it when you don’t control it) when you have so many other responsibilities.

Developing a strong relationship with the materials management department, taking advantage of the capabilities of digital inventory control and using a few old-fashioned tips can help you stay on top of this portion of your job, even on the craziest of days.

Here are a few tips to help nursing inventory supply and to ensure your staff is never without the supplies it needs.

Make the Most of Your Facility’s Inventory Software

Most inventory software can do much more than simply provide an up-to-date count of your supplies. Use the report function to determine when expiration dates are approaching or track the items you use the most. If you discover some items are used more often during certain months of the year, modify your orders to meet expected demand. If you don’t have access to the full range of reports, ask your materials management department to run reports based on your requested parameters. Usage reports can also help you determine which items are seldom used and can be eliminated from your orders. For example, although you have ordered six brands of latex gloves for years, you may discover your staff only uses three brands consistently.

Develop a Rapport with Materials Management Staff

Developing a strong relationship with materials management staff can be beneficial. Invite the staff to observe your nursing units and make recommendations for improving inventory management. If you’re in frequent contact with a manager or staff member in materials management, you might be the first to know that the hospital is considering changing suppliers or ordering procedures and may be asked for your opinion.

Take Advantage of Just-In-time Ordering

If space in your supply area is limited, ask your materials management department if you can use just-in-time ordering. This ordering system can help ensure you have the supplies you need when you need them, not before. Take a look at typical usage for each item per week and order just enough supplies to get you through a week or two. When you place orders weekly or bi-weekly, you won’t overstock your supply area or waste money by ordering bulk products that are never actually used.

Re-organize Your Supply Closet, If You Have One

Sometimes it seems as if supplies just disappear, even though your inventory software insists you still have them. Although theft can be a problem in some cases, the missing supplies may actually be pushed behind seldom-used items. Solve the problem by placing items frequently used together, like your topical anesthetic and IV start kit, close to each other. If all of the supplies required to perform a procedure are located in one place, your nurses won’t have to rummage through your closet looking for the things they need. Color-coding item labels can also make finding supplies easier.

Double-check Orders

Appoint a staff member to check every order you receive from materials management. Don’t just assume orders are correct. Physically count every item noted on the packing list and compare it to your original order. Also, check prices to make sure your department was charged the correct price for items.

No matter what method you use, devoting an hour or two each week to inventory management is the key to ensuring you don’t run out of the supplies you need or fill your supply closet with items that will expire before you can use them.

You can find other ways to save time while giving your patients the best possible care with The Ultimate Patient Satisfaction Checklist for Nurse Managers. Get your copy here.

Streamline Patient Satisfaction with this Gebauer Checklist