The Hidden Time Sink: How Nurses Waste Hours Searching for Supplies (And How to Fix It)

The Silent Crisis in Healthcare: Supply Location Inefficiencies

Every second counts in a hospital. Whether responding to a code blue, managing patient care, or juggling administrative responsibilities, nurses must operate with precision and efficiency. Yet, one of the most preventable inefficiencies in healthcare—the time spent searching for medical supplies—remains a persistent, overlooked issue.

Research suggests that nurses spend up to 6,000 hours per month per hospital searching for essential supplies and equipment. That’s thousands of hours diverted from patient care to an avoidable scavenger hunt. In an era where hospitals are under constant pressure to optimize operations and reduce clinician burnout, this is a systemic failure that demands urgent attention.

Why Are Nurses Spending So Much Time Searching for Supplies?

The inefficiency of hospital supply chains stems from several key issues:

1. Disorganized Storage & Poor Inventory Visibility

Many hospitals still rely on outdated storage systems where supplies are scattered across multiple locations without real-time tracking. Supply rooms are often stocked inconsistently, forcing nurses to check multiple locations to find what they need. The lack of a centralized inventory system leads to wasted time, frustration, and, at times, medical delays.

2. Lack of Standardized Inventory Management

Without a standardized approach to inventory management, hospitals struggle with misplaced or understocked supplies. A survey by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) found that 65% of hospital supply chain leaders cite inventory management as a major challenge, often leading to inefficiencies that impact both time and costs.

3. Manual Processes & Reliance on Memory

Nurses often rely on tribal knowledge—word of mouth, notes, or sheer memory—to locate supplies. This not only creates a bottleneck when staff turnover occurs but also results in uneven workflows where some staff members know where everything is, while others struggle.

4. Frequent Stockouts & Overstocking

According to a study by the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), nearly 20% of hospital supply expenses result from unnecessary overstocking or emergency orders due to poor tracking. When nurses can't find what they need, they may order more—leading to supply hoarding or, worse, shortages at critical moments.

The Cost of Inefficiency: Impact on Nurses, Hospitals, and Patients

The time spent searching for supplies isn't just a minor inconvenience—it has real consequences for nurses, hospital operations, and, most critically, patient outcomes.

Nurse Burnout & Job Dissatisfaction

• A 2023 study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration found that administrative inefficiencies contribute significantly to nurse burnout, with inventory issues ranking among the top frustrations.

• Wasted time increases stress, adds to cognitive overload, and reduces the time available for meaningful patient interactions.

• The National Academy of Medicine estimates that burnout costs U.S. healthcare systems $4.6 billion annually in nurse turnover and reduced productivity.

Hospital Financial Losses & Operational Inefficiencies

• Every minute a nurse spends searching for supplies equates to lost productivity and increased labor costs.

• The American Hospital Association (AHA) reports that hospitals lose over $25 billion per year due to supply chain inefficiencies.

• Inefficiencies in inventory management can result in unnecessary expenditures on emergency supply restocks, expired materials, and wasted resources.

Patient Safety & Quality of Care

• Delays in accessing critical supplies can have life-or-death consequences in emergency scenarios.

• Disruptions in workflow reduce efficiency in bedside care, leading to lower patient satisfaction scores and potential medical errors.

• A study in the Journal of Healthcare Management found that hospitals with poor supply chain practices had 13% higher rates of medical errors and adverse patient outcomes.

The Solution: Leveraging Technology to Optimize Supply Management

The good news? The solution to this challenge is already here. Modern hospital inventory systems, like Ask Iris, are transforming how healthcare facilities manage supplies. By leveraging real-time tracking, automated supply monitoring, and smart search capabilities, hospitals can significantly reduce wasted time, improve patient care, and ease the burden on nurses.

How Ask Iris is Revolutionizing Supply Location Efficiency

1. Real-Time Supply Search

• Ask Iris provides a centralized platform that allows nurses to quickly search for and locate supplies across hospital departments.

• With a quick text or voice search, nurses can instantly pinpoint where an item is stored and whether it is in stock or running low, eliminating the need to physically check multiple locations.

2. Streamlined Inventory Monitoring

• Automated stock-level tracking ensures that hospitals can easily monitor which supplies are in stock or at low levels, reducing last-minute scrambles.

• Instead of relying on manual checks, nurses and hospital administrators can access up-to-date inventory status at any time.

• Hospitals using modern inventory tracking solutions have reported a significant reduction in supply-related inefficiencies, according to the Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA).

3. Easy Integration with Hospital Systems

• Ask Iris integrates with hospital databases and supply management systems, ensuring that supply location data is easily accessible.

• By providing a centralized reference for supply locations, it reduces the reliance on memory-based tracking and unnecessary back-and-forth searches.

4. Improved Decision Making with Clear Inventory Insights

• Real-time insights help hospital administrators track supply trends, ensuring better planning for procurement and stocking decisions.

• Instead of relying on guesswork, hospitals can make informed decisions about which items need restocking and where inefficiencies exist.

The Bottom Line: Nurses Deserve Better, and So Do Patients

In today’s healthcare environment, hospitals cannot afford to waste valuable time on inefficient supply management. By implementing solutions like Ask Iris, hospitals can reclaim thousands of hours each year, allowing nurses to focus on what truly matters: patient care.

The future of hospital efficiency isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about leveraging technology to build smarter, more resilient healthcare systems that empower frontline staff and improve patient outcomes.

It’s time to put an end to the supply scavenger hunt and embrace the next generation of hospital inventory management. The question isn’t if hospitals should adopt smarter supply tracking—it’s how soon they can afford to wait.