Miss Gina-Maree Teixeira1
1North West Hospital and Health Service, Moun Isa, Australia
Abstract:
Purpose:
Oral nutrition supplement (ONS) wastage has been largely uninvestigated at Mount Isa Hospital. This project aimed to explore the amount of ONS being wasted and the cost to the health care system.
Methods:
Pre and post-consumer data was collected to quantify ONS wastage both prior to and after reaching the patient. This included wastage due to expired or damaged stock, as well as unopened ONS that was discarded after being served to the patient. Additional data was collected to quantify the number of inpatients receiving ONS and the product most prescribed. Cost per bottle for each ONS was also collected.
Findings:
Medical ward had the most patients receiving ONS (an average of 28.9% of the ward), with Fresubin Energy Fibre being the most prescribed product. No ONS were found to be discarded due to damaged stock within a 4-week period. Within the same period, 108 expired ONS bottles were discarded, with the majority discarded from the hospital kitchen due to short-dated stock. An average of 30% of each ONS bottle was discarded after being served to patients over a 2-week period. The cost to the health service is currently being investigated.
Conclusions:
A substantial amount of ONS are being wasted at Mount Isa Hospital, resulting in a considerable cost to the health service. Further efforts are currently being undertaken to identify the cause of wastage and waste reduction strategies, including the potential safety and feasibility of recycling processes. This will assist in improving health service environmental sustainability and budget.