Date of Paper/Work
5-2021
Type of Paper/Work
Doctor of Nursing Practice Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Suzanne Lehman
Department/School
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Abstract
Purpose: Management of disposable sterile supplies and implants is an opportunity to ensure quality patient care at an acceptable cost for both the patient and the organization. It is essential to have the right supplies available and reduce the economic and environmental waste for every patient without compromising the quality of care. This project aims to standardize the workflow for evaluating surgical supplies and reduce expired supplies.
Problem: In the pediatric operating room (OR) population, would a standardized process and decision support tool to review disposable sterile surgical supplies compared to the current unstandardized process result in fewer expired supplies and increased savings for the organization?
Approach: This project sought to develop a standardized process for collecting information on expired surgical supplies and a decision support tool. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle was utilized as a framework to guide the project through several cycles and refinements of the process and tool, culminating with building the decision support tool into the value management software (VAMS).
Results: The organization loses approximately $100,000+ each year on expired products. This quality improvement project saved roughly $10,000 or 10% of ongoing operational costs for surgical supplies during the project's pilot.
Conclusion: This quality improvement project resulted in an objective and consistent decision-making tool and process to evaluate disposable sterile surgical supplies.
Recommended Citation
Fleming, Shayna K.. (2021). Decreasing the Cost of Surgery: A Standardized Process and Decision Tool to Evaluate Surgical Supplies. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/dnp_projects/131