Learning how to prevent wasted ostomy supplies can help you save money, reduce frustration, and make your daily ostomy care routine more efficient. While some waste is unavoidable, many discarded ostomy supplies result from preventable issues. Luckily, by making a few simple adjustments to your routine, you can get the most out of your supplies without compromising your comfort or skin health. Here, we'll go over 10 tips on managing medical supplies and how ostomates can decrease waste.
Quick Overview: How to Prevent Wasted Ostomy Supplies
- Measure your stoma regularly to ensure a proper-fitting skin barrier and help prevent leaks.
- Follow a consistent appliance change schedule instead of changing your pouch too early or waiting too long.
- Store ostomy supplies correctly in a cool, dry place to protect adhesives and extend product usability.
- Maintain healthy peristomal skin and take steps to prevent leaks, which are among the most common causes of wasted supplies.
- Stay organized, plan ahead, and reorder on time to avoid expired products, duplicate purchases, and emergency replacements.
Why Ostomy Supplies Get Wasted
Unfortunately, ostomy supplies go to waste far more often than many people realize, especially in the immediate months after your surgery. It can take some time to adjust to life with an ostomy bag, regardless of whether you had a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy, and this can lead to a slight degree of medical waste. To better understand how to minimize this kind of waste, it's important to first understand why it happens. Some of the most common reasons ostomy supplies or equipment get wasted include:
- An improper fit. If the opening in the skin barrier is too large or too small, it can lead to leaks, skin irritation, and the need for an early appliance change.
- Changing the appliance too frequently. Some people replace their pouching system sooner than necessary out of habit or concern about leaks, while others wait too long, increasing the risk of barrier failure. Following the schedule recommended by your healthcare provider can help reduce unnecessary changes.
- Poor storage conditions. Exposure to excessive heat, humidity, or freezing temperatures can damage adhesives and reduce product performance before the supplies are ever used.
- Peristomal skin problems. Irritated, moist, or damaged skin may prevent the barrier from adhering properly, resulting in leaks and more frequent replacements.
- Mistakes during appliance changes. Cutting the barrier incorrectly, forgetting to dry the skin completely, or contaminating the adhesive can require you to start over with a new product.
- Using products that aren't the right fit for your needs. Every stoma is unique, and using an appliance or accessory that doesn't match your body shape or stoma characteristics can lead to frequent failures and wasted supplies.
10 Ways to Prevent Wasted Ostomy Supplies (and Save Money)
While some supply-related challenges are expected throughout daily life with an ostomy, a bit of practice and learning which products work best for you can help reduce medical supply waste. While you should always speak with your doctor if you're struggling, the following best practices and solutions can help limit unnecessary issues.
1. Measure Your Stoma Regularly
Your stoma may change in size or shape, particularly during the first several weeks after surgery. An opening that's too large can expose the surrounding skin to output, while one that's too small can put pressure on the stoma. Measuring your stoma regularly and cutting your skin barrier to the correct size helps create a secure seal, reducing leaks and preventing unnecessary appliance changes.
2. Change Your Appliance on a Consistent Schedule
Changing your pouching system too early can result in perfectly good supplies being thrown away, while waiting too long may increase the risk of odor or leaks and skin irritation. Instead of changing your appliance only when problems occur, follow the schedule recommended by your healthcare provider or ostomy nurse. A consistent routine can help your skin stay healthy and can reduce emergency changes.
3. Gather Everything Before You Start
Before removing your current appliance, lay out all of the supplies you'll need in a clean, organized workspace. This can help prevent interruptions that may contaminate adhesives or lead to mistakes. Having everything ready also makes the process smoother and reduces the likelihood of accidentally wasting products. You can also wear protective gloves during the process to help decrease the risk of any cross-contamination.
4. Store Ostomy Supplies Properly
Proper storage can also help preserve the quality of your ostomy supplies. Keep products in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, excessive heat, humidity, and freezing temperatures. Whenever possible, it's also good practice to leave supplies in their original packaging until you're ready to use them to help protect the adhesive and maintain product integrity.
5. Keep Your Peristomal Skin Healthy
Healthy skin provides the best surface for your skin barrier to adhere securely. If you notice redness, irritation, or areas of broken skin, address the issue promptly with your healthcare provider or ostomy nurse. Keeping the skin clean, dry, and healthy can improve barrier adhesion and reduce leaks that may require premature appliance changes. If you notice any signs of irritation or skin breakdown that doesn't get better, it's best to see your doctor or ostomy nurse as a precaution.
6. Take Steps to Prevent Leaks
Leaks are one of the most common reasons ostomy supplies get waste, as they typically require that you change your pouch sooner than you would have needed. To help reduce the risk:
- Make sure your skin barrier fits correctly around your stoma.
- Smooth out wrinkles when applying the barrier.
- Apply gentle pressure for several minutes to help the adhesive bond to your skin.
- Empty your pouch before it becomes too full or heavy.
- Talk to your ostomy nurse if you experience frequent leaks, as a different product or accessory may provide a better fit.
7. Only Use Accessories That Support Your Needs
Barrier rings, pastes, powders, adhesive strips, and ostomy belts can improve the fit of your appliance when they're appropriate for your situation. However, using products you don't actually need may increase costs without improving performance. Therefore, you should always work with your healthcare provider or ostomy nurse to determine which accessories are most beneficial for your body and stoma. If you don't need to use a product, it's best not to overcomplicate your care needs.
8. Keep Your Supplies Organized
A well-organized supply area makes it easier to keep track of what you have on hand, which can reduce the risk of re-ordering excess from your durable medical equipment (DME) supplier. To make sure that you use older supplies first, organize them so the older supplies are at the front of your basket or drawer. This way, you can just grab them easily and use oldest-newest. You should also check expiration dates periodically and track your inventory prior to placing a new one. This can help reduce waste, as you won't have to discard or dispose of expired or unused supplies.
9. Plan Ahead When Traveling
Traveling doesn't have to lead to wasted supplies if you're prepared. Pack enough products to cover your trip, plus extras in case of delays or unexpected appliance changes. Keep supplies in your carry-on when flying, protect them from extreme temperatures, and store them in a clean, dry bag that's easy to access if you need to make a change while away from home. If you've yet to fly as an ostomate, take some time to prepare for airport security to help give you peace of mind.
10. Reorder Supplies Before You Run Out
While you shouldn't necessarily order supplies too soon, waiting until the last minute to reorder can also create unnecessary stress and may result in paying for emergency purchases or expedited shipping if you run out. Familiarize yourself with your insurance plan's reorder schedule and place your order before your supplies get too low. Working with a reliable medical supply provider can help ensure you receive the products you need on time so you're always prepared.
Partner With Byram Healthcare for Reliable Ostomy Supplies
While the above tips can help you manage your ostomy supplies and reduce waste, it's also important to partner with a reputable medical supply company. Byram Healthcare offers a wide selection of high-quality ostomy products from leading manufacturers that can be discreetly delivered to your door. Contact us today to learn more about how you can gain dependable access to the products you rely on for ongoing ostomy care.
