Ideas That Work: Inventory Organization

Looking for a better way to organize your inventory of frozen tissue grafts? To improve efficiency when preparing for a case, we developed a system that involves placing each type of graft into a color-coded, zippered mesh bag. This allows us to better organize and maintain our inventory, perform date checks and select grafts for each case. The color-coded system helps staff easily identify types of grafts, which minimizes the amount of time the freezer door is left open. Before a case, surgeons often want to inspect the available grafts. With the new system it’s easy to do. Staff pull the appropriate mesh from the freezer and the mesh bags let surgeons visually inspect each one for size and other parameters. Once the selection is made and the graft is removed, the bag gets zipped back up and placed neatly in the freezer where it can be readily available for later use.

Philip B. Binkley, MBA, BSN, RN
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
Houston, Texas
[email protected]