Inventory Control

Hi Stacey -
 I was having the same issue when our POC program started to expand. I created a form that I attached to a clipboard on the outside of the frig. I monitor it daily when I take temps. It has been working so far. 

FORM 91 POC POC Refrigerator Inventory Control.xlsx

I have a log  similar  to Jennifer's,  that we used to keep track of supply usage. Nursing staff comes and gets the supply needed and sign off on the log. Each week we take a count and determine if we need to order more supplies.  I would suggest make a list of supplies you use, determine how much you should have on hand, and how much you use normally. Order amount  needed as stock but also add a buffer amount  enough for 2 weeks,  just in case the vendor had trouble filling in  your order especially with the covid problems. . 

I also have a log.  When someone from a unit comes to the Lab to sign out reagents, we record the reagent type, lot number, expiration date, amount (box or # of cartridges), unit location, and signature of person signing out the reagents.  I use the log as part of the competency "correctly signs out POC reagents on the POC inventory Logsheet.  I also visit the unit recorded on the log, and use that as part of competency as "redates/stores cartridges properly once signed out from Core Lab".  
I don't use the logsheets as an indicator for ordering new supplies, I just look to see what I have on the shelf.  

Stacey,
Dependent on the size of your facility and the staff you are working with will dictate your need to control this.  I've worked in a 250 bed hospital which had largely responsible stable staff that I could trust.  The facility was small enough that I could personally monitor their usage and address as needed which wasn't often.  The biggest challenge I had was with the floor staff self-helping themselves to the bulk inventory in the lab (with a log they filled out) was the desire of some to grab the longest expiration date in the back of the pile like people do in the grocery store for milk.  This was ultimately self defeating because they were the only ones using the inventory. 
In larger systems this approach doesn't work and more control is needed.  We have the floors email inventory requests to our materials dept which retrieves the inventory out of the lab bulk supply and deliver it.  This provides documentation of who is requesting it, how much and also has less incentive of the staff to grab as much as possible to limit the number of trips.  Occasionally staff do come down to the lab for smaller requests and are are required to fill out a log and are handed the requested supplies, they are not allowed to self-serve.

I do the same - I have a log on the iSTAT fridge and one by the room temp supplies. Everything is self serve.  I just want to be able to know if someone came and picked up an extreme amount of something or something they shouldn't have. It works well for our size hospital about 300 beds.  I can see how Jeremy's system would be best for a larger hospital. 

We are a larger hospital and have an inventory control system similar to what Jeremy described. Units will submit an supply req to the lab and our material handlers will allocate, package and label the supplies in a central storage location. Units send a runner to retrieve the supplies. Scales better than keeping a hand ledger but harder to set up.