How often should expiration dates be checked for crash cart supplies?

In a clinical environment, regularly checking expiration dates for crash cart supplies is critical for patient safety and effective emergency response. Checking supplies every month ensures that items are not only within their use-by date but also in usable condition. This frequency helps to maintain a consistent level of readiness, ensuring that critical medications and equipment are available and effective when an emergency arises.

While checking supplies only at the time of use may seem convenient, it poses a significant risk as a supply could be found expired in a high-stress situation when quick action is required. Monthly checks allow for proactive management of supplies, reducing the chance of expired products being involved in patient care.

While weekly checks could be overly demanding and may not provide significant additional safety benefits, quarterly checks, while also useful, may lead to a gap in oversight that could result in expired supplies remaining on the crash cart for a period. Thus, a monthly check strikes a reasonable balance between thoroughness and practicality.