NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Although it’s impossible to always predict what’s on the brink of disrupting the industry, having a more solid and proactive plan is one of the biggest takeaways learned from the pandemic.
Heading into 2022, healthcare systems and their vertical industries across the nation are reexamining inventory, staffing and operational practices to be better equipped to handle disasters and emergencies.
Cleanliness and efficiency were quickly brought into the spotlight for both healthcare systems and patients across the world. Hospitals can quickly and effectively address these apprehensions at their facilities by starting with one of its most-used articles, textiles, by forming a more strategic approach in partnership with their in-house or third-party laundry operating partners.
From scrubs and gowns to pillowcases, sheets, and blankets, the approach to consistency in availability, along with the processing and safe handling of these items, is crucial to ensuring a safe environment for both patients and staff.
One way to minimize disruption is to implement a textile backup plan. We recommend partnering with an expert to develop a strategic textiles program that offers solutions that address some of the most significant issues facing healthcare today, like preparing for emergency situations, supporting staff during the labor shortage and continuing commitments to infection prevention.
We recommend leveraging pre-washed linen to ensure healthcare facilities are better equipped for success as part of its proactive planning. We offer pre-washed linens that are processed to healthcare requirements, packaged to maintain integrity and warehoused for implementation at a moment’s notice.
Hospital systems have long utilized a process for “kitting,” a combining of products or items into a package or “kit” that is ready to use. The implementation of kits has boosted productivity and efficiency, allowing clinical staff to spend more time with patients and focus on solutions that ultimately lead to better care.
The process of utilizing pre-washed linens, which touch virtually every aspect of a patient’s journey from the moment they enter a healthcare setting, can be a major area of opportunity for healthcare systems and processors to embrace a similar concept to enhance efficiency with the help of pre-packaged and washed product.
Below, we will explore the significant challenges facing the industry today, in addition to how and why pre-packaged products should be a part of healthcare systems’ proactive planning in partnership with laundry operators.
DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Minimizing laundry-related tasks is an essential way to help clinical staff focus more time on providing care and worrying less about hauling and stocking linens.
Pre-washed and assembled textile solutions can not only help alleviate labor constraints in hospitals and laundries but also provide a full-circle solution for equipment issues and disaster and emergency preparedness.
Pre-laundered, pre-packaged and ready-to-use linens are great to have stocked in case of severe weather, pandemics or any other unforeseen disruptions, as they’ve already gone through a healthcare-grade sanitizing, packaging and distribution process.
From the moment disaster strikes, staff will be better equipped with the resources to perform duties under pressure and with increased demand. Having these products stocked away in inventory also relieves distress in not having enough product on hand for patients and the timeliness of sanitizing, processing, and having product delivered.
Learning more about the different options available, including available varieties of pre-packaged products and solutions, should be a part of every healthcare system’s laundry, inventory and supply-chain operational planning.
ADDRESSING THE LABOR DEMAND
An established plan equipped with ready-to-use products can also better support staff during today’s challenging labor force, and laundry operators can now play a huge role in the solution.
Providing relief and a solution that can be quickly implemented when navigating exacerbated responsibilities and care due to lower staff numbers is imperative in providing the best care possible.
In addition, untrained temporary staff can be unaware of the critical nature of quality management necessary to handle these items properly, so ready-to-use solutions can be supportive during the onboarding and training process.
Critical front-office staff can’t be focused on processing linens when they should be focused on managing business operations. Having ready-to-use linens that have already been sanitized and offering the same quantity and quality product packaged can be a great resource to have on hand.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Delivering consistency to the healthcare environment is key. That means a consistent flow of inventory minimizing shortages. It also pertains to the cleanliness factor of linen flowing into healthcare facilities. Integrity is important both operationally and from an infection control standpoint for healthcare systems and their laundry operators.
When it comes to pre-washed and packaged products, we stand by ingraining the utmost integrity into the overall process of assembling these pre-packaged products. When providing consistent products and maintaining the best outcomes for minimizing infections, we recommend following a robust process for pre-washed linen handling:
- After the product is washed, fold tightly to healthcare standards.
- Stack and bale (in some cases) the folded product to be placed in safety-tested boxes.
- Place product into polybag-lined boxes, which should be of the highest standard to minimize contamination.
- Stacks to be placed inside lining of boxes and sealed shut for transport.
- Store boxes carefully in a warehouse for distribution.
You can’t always predict the future, but you can be better prepared to tackle the many challenges facing the industry today as we navigate through the pandemic.
When it comes to operational strategy and planning for laundry, it’s always recommended to consult a textiles expert that can help craft a plan that best fits your facility.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].