Case Study:

Dr. Smith has a full morning of minor office surgeries scheduled for today. Sarah, his nurse, has set up the room and prepared the patient. Prior to starting, Dr. Smith requests anesthetic without epinephrine due to the location of the surgical site. Searching the drawers and supply closet, Sarah reports, "We don't have any."

Fortunately, Sarah was able to borrow a vial from the physician in an adjacent office suite. Investigation by the office manager reveals that the supply was not reordered when the previous stock was disposed of due to its expiration date. This disruption in supply chain management resulted in an inefficient use of physician time and an uncomfortable situation in the presence of a patient.