UCSF Center for Healthcare Value - Caring Wisely 2.0

Crowd-sourcing innovative cost savings ideas from the front lines of care delivery systems

Saving fluid in the OR at Mt Zion

Idea Status: 

 In the Mt Zion OR we place water and saline in warmers. Our current practice is after 3 days this is considered expired and poured out.  It actually has an expiration date of 2 years.

We can still use the fluid. We just can't pre-warm it.

I propose putting this solution in a different location after it has been previously warmed and used in different ways.

For example:

   1.  Use the fluid for cases not requiring warm solutions.

   2.  Use a solution warmer for the field to warm your solution.

   3.   Use the water in your water basin.

    4.  PSA/PCA could use this water to dilute their cleaning solution.

We could also put only saline in the warmers, no water.

We could also extend the time in the warmers to 2 weeks.  This is the usual practice.  

We waste a lot of solution on a weekly basis. 

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