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Ostomy Carts: An Effective Way for Staff Nurses to Obtain Supplies

Kathy Tavernelli, BSN, RNC, CWOCN, Cleveland Clinic Home Care, Supervisor of Specialty Services, 6801 Brecksville Rd. Suite 10, Independence, OH 44131, Susan Reif, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Cleveland Clinic Home Care, Wound/Ostomy Specialist, 6801 Brecksville Rd., Independence, OH 44131, and Laura Herbe, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Hillcrest Hospital-Cleveland Clinic Health System, Coordinator of Wound Center, 6801 Mayfield Rd. Suite 440, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124.

Ostomy Carts: An Effective Way for Staff Nurses to Obtain Supplies

Purpose: To create an easily accessible way for staff nurses to obtain ostomy supplies and necessary products when an ostomy appliance needs changing. Objective: Increase accessibility to ostomy supplies when WOC nurse is not available Problem: All ostomy supplies were kept in storerooms of four hospitals in the Eastern region of our hospital system. Moreover, there existed myriad of product choices at these different hospitals. Consequently, often times the wrong products were ordered since the staff nurse was not able to see the products requested. This situation caused increased frustration amongst staff nurses and delay in patient care because ostomy products could not be sent back to the storerooms. Hence, nursing units incurred increased costs because new supplies had to be reordered. Another hurdle was storeroom managers requested consolidation of all ostomy supplies before other products could be ordered due limited space availability. Solution: An ad-hoc committee was formed to examine ways to consolidate ostomy products and solve this issue. The committee concluded ostomy carts (similar to a crash cart) be set up at each hospital. Once purchased, the carts were set up in similar manner as outlined by a checklist placed on the top of the cart. Once assembled and available, staff nurses were instructed on how to order the cart and how to find products in the cart. Furthermore, in an effort to consolidate products the committee decided on one primary ostomy supply company. Outcome: Nurses were able to locate the appropriate ostomy supplies needed for patient care quickly thereby increasing patient satisfaction while decreasing staff nurse frustration. Also, it was found that incurred costs decreased with the adoption of a primary ostomy supplier for the majority of supplies found on the cart.


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