Bedside Glucose Strip Vial Labeling

glu strip canister label.JPG

 Wow, that sounds like a tall order for the lab, since they're not on nursing units!

When we used canister-based strips, we used to use a label like this on the lid.  Nursing was responsible for putting on when opening.  It was a constant exercise in tail-chasing, of course.

I monitor the compliance of outdates on glucometer strips for my facility.  I have created a form I fill out every month and I go to each department with sticky notes, marker and tape.  I look at all QC and strips.  If there is no date I outdate the vial of strips at 5 months.  I know that the bottle unlabeled had been put in use since I checked the month before.  This is the same for QC vial I outdate them at 2 months instead of 90 days.  I keep track of how many vials are not outdated for each department on my audit form.  This process takes me roughly 4 hours to complete.  It works for our facility.

This should be an end-user responsibility since they are the ones opening new vials. We supply labels very similar the James' and include a question about it on their annual competency quiz. Whenever my team goes out to troubleshoot a meter I tell them to spot check the vials to make sure they have open and exp dates.

Our central supply that holds the strips and controls labels them with an open/expiration date sticker when they go out to whatever department requests them. We've had pretty good success with it.

I agree with Stephen; this is an end-user responsibility as the individuals opening and using the vials. 

We conduct audits in each of the 95+ on-site units performing POC glucose testing on a monthly basis; one of the six items that we audit is the presence of Open/Expiration dates on the Glucose strips. We are not as lenient as Kammy, although I definitely appreciate the amount of time you're taking to help them with dating! If, during our audits, we find unlabeled items that are in use, we take them. We've started a pile in our office to see how much we accumulate in a certain time period, and use it as a re-education topic.

We made sticker templates for the units to label their strips and controls since they are hard to write on or get wiped off. We use Avery template 5418 (nice and small) and have a place for open date/ exp date/ initials. Rolling this out with education and monthly monitoring we have almost 100% compliance.

I agree with those above-this is the responsibility of the end user. I got tired tossing out undated supplies so I have taken to placing the date of when I make controls/strips available in our "grab and go" area on the bottom of the vials. I only keep a limited supply there. At least I can base possible out dates from that given date and save some money. We audit the floors at least once/month. If something is not dated, I date according to the date I had To control the "wipe off" issue, I encourage the staff to cover the control bottle with tape after writing the open expiration date.

I also agree with most, it should be the ones that open the bottles that should date/initial the bottles.

I also do the certification of all the nurses who use the meters and I do cover this and they have a quiz on it, so they know that they are suppose to do this. The dating and initialing the bottles came about because of our NYS inspection, it was on the same line of QC being done on every new bottle of strips opened, which is/was a manufacturers suggestion. So not only do I have to keep track of the bottles, I have to verify that they are doing QC on every new bottle that is opened. For the record the Nurses are not very compliant with any of this, they see no need for it. I am hoping in time it will get better.

I also grab all the non-dated QC vials and keep them for education as well as any old lots of strips from the floors

dave m

Well here is a different way to do it.  We have Central Supply date the vial of strips with expiration date when shipment is received (6 months from the receipt of shipment).  Then every three months the point of care department labels the controls with open date and expiration date (3 months from open date) and then disperse to all departments and collect the previously used QC.  Yes the day that we dispense the new QC is a long day but then you know the QC is dated consistently.  The point of care department is responsible for order QC for the entire year and dispensing it quarterly.

Char

Yes we already dispense the controls to the Nursing units every 3 months but with 30,000 bedside glucose tests performed here each month by Nursing, it will be a daunting task to put the open date and expiration date on over 600 vials. Do you have good success with having Central Supply put the open date and expiration date on the vials of strips?