Stocking of a Busy Emergency Department

Completed

Conditions studied: Emergencies

In brief

Stocking of essential supplies in an emergency department (ED) is crucial in order to efficiently and effectively take care of patients. When equipment and supplies are not available to patient care providers, an imbalance in the delivery of care is created. The amount of time nurses spend away from the bedside obtaining supplies has only been superficially studied; however, one study proposed that the majority of nurses spend 5 to 20 percent or more of their time during a shift. This results in 30 minutes to two-and-a-half hours of a twelve hour shift being lost to retrieving supplies that are not available. Cabinets and drawers have recently been eliminated in the rooms and stock is kept in "supply towers" that contain all the necessary supplies to adequately take care of patients with the exception of medications, or stationary supplies. Towers are restocked every morning by a stocking technician by taking the towers to the stock room, resupplying them based on previously established PAR levels, and utilizing a standard chart that describes exactly what supply, and how many to stock within a specified area of the cart. During their shift, the stocking technician must also respond to pages concerning low stock levels. Hypothesis: Nurses spend a significant amount of time away from the patient bedside during their shift looking for supplies.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01586832

Run by

Lehigh Valley Hospital

People needed

565

Starts

2008-01-01

Expected to finish

2013-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2016-10-14

Who can join

Age: any. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Nurse is an employee of LVHHN, and is working at the CC site.
• Nurse is working a full shift (7a-7p, 7p-7a, 7a-3p, 3p-11p, 11p-7a).
• The nurse being observed is working in Pod 1, Pod 2, Pod 3, or Pod 4 at the CC site.
• The supply needed is related to a procedural task for patient care.

You may not qualify if…

• The nurse is working at LVH-M or LVH-17.
• The nurse being observed is working in the express care area or trauma bay.
• The supply being obtained is a supply that is not maintained in the cart (Appendix 2).
• The nurse is scheduled for a shift less than 8 hours.

Where it is running

• Lehigh Valley Health Network — Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States

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