Nova StatStrip Glucose Strip

The Materials dept is only responsible for stocking the supply room where the staff on the floors obtain new vials of strips.  When the user opens the glucometer strip vial they must date the vial.  It is not Materials responsibility to date the strips.
The dept floor leadership are very conscious of this requirement and round (audit) on this (and other POC issues) weekly and report their findings in Weekly facility summary Rounding meetings.   This took time to gain this level of awareness, the VP's pushing it from the top down had an immense impact on this.  The POC dept also rounds this as well.

Compelling end users to date items is a losing proposition. No one can force them to do this consistently and the problem is "a lab problem". 

I have a suggestion, but it would require some extra work by POCT and cooperation/process change by Materials Management (MM). 

If I remember correctly, your system is large......This suggestion might not be manageable for your entire system/situation. 

 Since the strips expire in 6 months, can you not place a three-month supply in every unit and pre-date them for an open date using a label? This would require some careful tracking/ordering on the part of POCT and the cooperation of Materials Management for the arrival/restocking of strips. Par levels would have to be set per unit, and Materials Management would have to rotate the stock and let POCT know when new ones came in-unless you can sequester orders. 

You could then do an audit every three months and remove the previous quarters dated strips and check that MM is rotating stock. If I used this system, I would do the audit at the same time I replaced glucose meter QC. (90 days expiration) Your glucose meter software can provide ideas of what those par levels should be whether or not it is high/low census. 

I could certainly argue the acceptability of this process to any inspector that appears in front of me with questions.  

There will be a certain number of strips that "expire" but that could be managed also. Expired items for training, relabeling the vials if the strips had not been opened on lower use units for instance. 

This suggestion would take some process changes on the part of POCT and Materials Management. 
MM would be easier to audit than nursing. 

 We have an issue with the tape being over the writing. We are regulated by Joint Commission. JC and our infection prevention department do not allow any tape. So, we find that to be an issue we are still dealing with on the units. Occasionally we find tape. They want to use tape over the bottles to prevent the markers from wiping off. As far as Jeremy's comment, we pretty much do the same as his facility with rounds, leadership, education and compliance on a monthly report for the managers, VPs, etc. We also have laminated quick tip guides near all of our supplies and meters, so it reminds the staff of what they need to do for opening, dating, cleaning, disinfecting and other tips, etc. 

In the past, we used to go down to the storeroom and put stickers (open/expiration date) in each box (6 months' worth of supplies), but now that it's stored off campus, we don't have access to the supplies to do that. We communicate to the users during orientation that each bottle needs to have the new expiration date on the vials once opened and we also remind them during their annual modules.  When we do audits, if an area is non-compliant, we put in an RL6 to document this. 

Glad to see we are all kind of in the same boat.   Yes, our Material department is only responsible for supplying the strip. They are not required to date them.
I do work with nursing leadership, but I soon as I get traction, it's a personal change.
@Deanna thanks for the suggestion. I have to give that process some thought. 

I know I am going to hear reasons why this isn't done but hear me out. I am the only employee that works the POC department and supplies are in my office. I require the person signing out supplies to document the supplies taken and then they have to open the boxes and date the containers before leaving the office. There is no way the strips are going to be left on the floors for 5 days let alone 6 months. QC bottles are going to be opened in the next day or two anyway. And yes, I require the tape over the ink. Strips and the meter are disinfected between patients. QC bottles do not go into patient rooms.  Until DMV can tell me about the ink that is invented that any chemical doesn't remove it from surfaces, tape is necessary to prevent undocumented containers. I am regulated by CAP and NYSDOH for POC and I have not been cited for tape. I am not trying to incite revolt but come one already.