Forty percent of healthcare providers have canceled a surgery and 69 percent of providers have rescheduled a surgery due to a lack of medical supplies, according to a survey conducted by Cardinal Health.
For the study, Cardinal Health fielded online responses from 305 providers, including frontline clinicians, operating room supply chain decision-makers and supply chain administrators from organizations varying in size, specialty and geographic location.
Here are five things to know.
1. Medical supply shortages at healthcare organizations caused 69 percent of providers to delay a patient surgery and 40 percent to cancel a surgery.
2. More than one in four respondents (27 percent) have seen or heard of an expired product being used on a patient during surgery. Further, 23 percent have seen or heard of a patient being harmed as a result of missing supplies.
3. Sixty-four percent of respondents admitted they have hoarded supplies.
4. More than half of frontline clinicians said inventory management is "complicated" or a "necessary evil." In addition, 92 percent of these frontline providers see a need for a better inventory management system at their organizations.
5. "Financial challenges persist across healthcare systems, and the operating room is one of the most costly areas to run," said John Roy, vice president and general manager at Cardinal Health Inventory Management Solutions. "Fortunately, there is a clear solution to support patient safety and reduce surgical case cancellations: better supply chain management."