The state of the healthcare industry's preparedness was heavily tested during this year's Ebola outbreak. Although the U.S. only saw seven people diagnosed with Ebola, hospitals and health systems took tally of their stocks and protocols and geared up for the worst-case scenario.
Luckily, the disease did not spread far in the United States. In November, Dallas, the site of the first Ebola diagnosis in the country, was declared Ebola free. Just a handful of people are still being monitored in New York City following the diagnosis of Craig Spencer, MD, who was diagnosed several weeks ago. Dr. Spencer has since been discharged from the hospital.
Infectious diseases like Ebola require certain equipment for treatment, both for clinicians and patients. Thus, hospitals needed to ensure they had adequate levels of supplies.
"Certain pieces of personal protective equipment are already available in hospitals because they are used on a day-to-day basis in any type of nursing isolation precautions they already have in place," says Stephanie Nelson, vice president of protective apparel division at Mundelein, Ill.-based Medline Industries. "For many, it was a matter of looking to increase their levels and preparing for possible pandemics."
At the height of it, medical and surgical supplier Medline received approximately 200 inquiries a day from hospital customers concerned about preparedness, said Ms. Nelson. "Customers continue to come to us with very specific questions about personal protective equipment to help increase their levels of inventory."
This isn't the first time Medline has fielded an increased volume of inquiries from customers. Being in the infection control product business, Medline also experienced similar situations with the avian flu and other recent pandemics.
"Going through those different pandemics over the years has allowed us to increase our awareness so we can remain stocked, informed and prepared," Ms. Nelson says.
Additionally, Amanda Laabs, president of protective apparel division at Medline, says the relationship between hospital and supplier can play a key role in helping to ensure hospitals are adequately stocked for the event of a pandemic. She says the closer hospitals and suppliers work together, the better suppliers can respond to the hospitals' demand.
"As people are developing protocols, as they're making product selections, they're communicating openly with suppliers about what they need and how quickly they're going to use it," Ms. Laabs says. "The more notice the supply chain has, the better off we're going to be in terms of our responsiveness."
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