Your hospital is packed with important health supplies. You need to store these items safely and efficiently, making them easy to reach when needed. With careful planning, you can ensure your team members have access to everything they need without digging through piles of boxes or wasting time trying to find what they need. Here are eight tips for organizing your medical accouterments.

hospital emergency room

Organize for Flow

The first step to organizing your supplies is to plan the flow of people and products through your space. It’s important to consider the workflow patterns of everyone using your storage area, whether that’s a few employees or many patients. You want people to be able to find what they need quickly and efficiently, so think about how you can organize items in an organized way that makes sense for them.

Understand Your Items

Know what you have. Before storing your supplies, take inventory of everything in your storage room. Also, make sure that you know what you need and don’t. Take stock of any gaps in your current supply inventory. Be aware of expiry dates and arrange your inventory accordingly.

Make Use of Vertical Space

Using vertical space is a good start if you’re looking for better ways to store health supplies. This can reduce the amount of floor space needed for healthcare storage and make it easier to find items. 

Speaking of finding items, using vertical space has another advantage: It makes it possible for people who work in your hospital to see supplies quickly and efficiently without leaving their stations or straining their backs.

Make Information Visible

Make sure you use labels and signs to make information easy to read. This includes ensuring the label text is large enough and avoiding stickers. Use color coding (or another method) to make it easy to identify which items go together. Try to use symbols or icons on your labels instead of words whenever possible- they’re faster and easier for patients to understand.

Label Everything

Labeling is the most important step in healthcare storage. Any time you receive a new supply, it should be labeled with information about its contents and expiration date (if applicable).

For example, if you’re storing bandages for wound care, each package should have a visible label that includes:

  • The type of material (e.g., absorbent gauze pads)
  • The quantity per package (e.g., 4×3″ pads)
  • The expiration date (if applicable).

Use Security Features

The best way to protect your health supplies is to keep them out of sight, but if you want to ensure they’re safe while they’re in use, you’ll need a few extra security features, such as:

  • Locks and latches: If you have access to the room where the supplies are being stored, consider using locks or latches on any doors that lead into it.
  • Security cameras: If there are no lockable doors in your supply shed or hospital storage room, installing a security camera will protect your health supplies from would-be thieves.
  • Barriers: A barrier can be as simple as placing boxes behind existing shelving units so intruders cannot see what’s inside them.
  • Alarms: Alarms provide some warning system should someone decide they want no part in following rules anymore.

Ensure Safety Standards Are Met

You should ensure that the storage area is clean and dry. A dusty or damp environment can be a breeding ground for germs, so ensure the room where you store your medical supplies has been cleaned thoroughly before storing anything there.

Conclusion

We hope this article helps you to make the most of storing your health supplies. By following these tips and practices, you can save time and money while still improving care quality. Do let us know if you have any questions by commenting down below.