SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-It's Fluidstaying Nimble and Innovative During a National Healthcare Fluid Shortage

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The document describes Stanford Healthcare’s response to a national IV fluid shortage caused by hurricane-related supply chain disruptions, especially after Baxter’s North Carolina facility—responsible for a major share of U.S. IV fluid production—was affected. The shortage threatened saline, IV fluids, and dialysate, creating an urgent need to protect patient care and safety.<br /><br />To manage the crisis, Stanford used a five-part framework: Predict, Prevent, Prepare, Respond, and Recover. Multiple task forces focused on conservation, utilization, and dialysis met frequently, while senior medical and supply chain leadership coordinated weekly. The response relied on strong governance, clinical partnerships, and real-time supply intelligence.<br /><br />Key actions included identifying high-use departments such as the ICU, Surgery, Pediatrics, and Pharmacy; tracking burn rates; and using dashboards to guide clinicians and reduce waste. The team reallocated fluids to prevent expiration, promoted oral hydration and IV push antibiotics when appropriate, and encouraged premixed medications to reduce in-house compounding. Real-time monitoring and root cause analysis helped identify unusual usage patterns and improve standardization.<br /><br />The effort resembled early COVID-19 supply conservation strategies and proved effective and sustainable. Benefits included preserved supplies, labor savings, improved workflow efficiency, and reduced costs. The authors conclude that healthcare systems should adopt agile, data-driven, team-based conservation practices as a standard part of emergency preparedness and long-term resilience.

Asset Subtitle

Neera Ahuja

Meta Tag

Author List Amanda Chawla, Jason Hom, Lisa Shieh, Meredith E. Baker, Neera Ahuja, Niraj Sehgal

Category Research

Concept IV Fluid Shortage

Concept Healthcare Supply Chain

Concept Fluid Conservation

Concept Burn Rate

Concept Cross-functional Collaboration

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Stanford University School of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine

Presenting Author Neera Ahuja

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

IV fluid shortage

supply chain disruption

Stanford Healthcare

hurricane impact

patient safety

conservation strategy

dialysate shortage

real-time monitoring

healthcare resilience

emergency preparedness

IV Fluid Shortage

Healthcare Supply Chain

Fluid Conservation

Burn Rate

Cross-functional Collaboration