The Role of Hospital Consumables in Patient Care and Safety
The term ‘medical consumables’ can be applied to any – often single-use – items utilised for patient care, diagnosis or treatment. They are fundamental to healthcare provision and essential for nearly every procedure, task or process throughout the hospital. As such, consumables have a core role to play within the following three areas:
Infection control and prevention – An array of sterile, single-use items is essential for minimising the risk of pathogenic cross-contamination between professionals and patients, during clinical procedures and throughout the day.
Efficiency – Single-use, ready-to-use products are quick to pick up, place/wear and remove, streamlining the professional workflow and supporting an efficient patient experience.
Cost savings - Using inexpensive, disposable solutions are in generally more cost-effective than reusable products, which involve higher initial costs and ongoing sterilisation expenses.
Quality first
The most important role of medical consumables is to optimise patient safety and the quality of care they receive. This can be achieved when professionals have access to the right tools at the right time, allowing them to perform the examinations, diagnostic testing and treatments indicated to the highest standards. The implementation of single-use items also minimises the risk of cross-contamination and hospital-acquired infections, as they are designed to be disposed of after one use, maintaining sterility and preventing pathogen transmission. This supports infection control across hospital environments, especially in high-risk areas like intensive care units, operating rooms and surgical wards.
The challenges of consumable management
Despite the high demand for consumables throughout the hospital environment, there are challenges and potential concerns that must be considered.
One challenge is supply chain resilience and mitigating delays. Australia is extensively reliant on imports with long global trade routes. As demonstrated during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – disruptions can have a significant impact on trade. Healthcare was among the hardest hit, with an estimated 90% of medical supplies imported. Therefore, hospitals must find the right balance between building stock, including consumables, and avoiding waste due to unused items.
Another difficulty is cost. Health expenditure in Australia increased in real terms by 6% between 2020-21 and 2021-22, including a 4.6% increase in recurrent spending for hospitals.ii It has also been found that public hospitals in Western Australia spend over $200 million annually on consumables.iii This means it has never been more important for those in charge of procurement and hospital stock management to maximise efficiencies wherever possible, without compromising standards of patient care. However, single-use consumables can help in this area. It is typically more cost-effective to utilise these, often inexpensive solutions, in place of reusable products that require a greater initial financial outlay as well as the ongoing costs of sterilisation. Further cost-savings may also be attained by reducing infection rates, length of hospital stay for patients and readmissions.
Optimising patient care and safety
At Getz Healthcare, a wide range of hospital consumables is offered, including probe covers, airway management solutions, suction instruments/tubing, CTG belts and many more. Understanding the challenges faced by healthcare providers, Getz Healthcare is dedicated to optimising the safety, efficiency, and reliability of patient care with industry-leading consumables that are readily available when needed. For more information, view our Medical & Hospital product range or CONTACT our team directly.
i Aph.gov.au. Inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Institute fir Integrated Economic research – Australia. Submission 13. [Accessed July 2024]
ii Australian Government, Health expenditure. October 2023. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-welfare-expenditure/health-expenditure [Accessed July 2024
iii Western Australian Auditor General’s Report. Consumable Stock Management in Hospitals. February 2016. https://audit.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/report2016_02-HospitalSupplies.pdf [Accessed July 2024]