American Nurse Journal survey reveals medical courier errors significantly impact patient care and clinical effectiveness

Second survey indicates that partnering with a reliable healthcare logistics provider improves care quality and drives costs down

According to a new survey of more than 300 nurses, healthcare logistics—the movement of critical materials including lab specimens, supplies, pharmaceuticals and surgical equipment—continues to significantly impact the delivery of patient care.

Of nurses surveyed by American Nurse Journal

• 83% said that medical couriers impact their work at least once a week
• 67% said a medical courier delay or error negatively impacted their ability to provide appropriate care for patients at least once a month

When asked how often they have had to reschedule a procedure for a patient as a result of a courier error in the past year, the results were alarming. In the past year, more than half (52%) of all nurses surveyed have had to reschedule a procedure, while 10% have had to do so five or more times.

“Nurses—who are on the front lines of our health system—again revealed that working with the wrong medical courier can have a substantially negative impact on patient care,” said Jake Crampton, CEO of MedSpeed. “It’s important to recognize the vital role that healthcare logistics plays in delivering high quality healthcare.”

Results of this 2024 survey echo the findings from a similar survey conducted by American Nurse Journal in 2022.

Crampton continued, “These survey findings underscore the significant financial impact logistics has on care delivery, and why it should not be viewed as a commodity, or cost center. When you consider the costs for procedure delays, specimen recollection and liability, not to mention the profound impact on clinical and patient experience, it is clear how important it is to partner with a logistics provider that invests in the elements that produce exceptional quality.”

Of nurses who responded that medical couriers affect their work, 80% said that a delay or error impacts their ability to provide appropriate care to patients at least once a month, while 22% of those nurses said that they had to collect another sample for testing five or more times in the last year.

Because of medical courier errors, nurses are forced to create workarounds to overcome those errors. Among workarounds nurses deployed

• 29% created a “secret stash” of supplies
• 27% transported an item to another healthcare facility themselves

The nurses surveyed expressed frustration with unreliable couriers. One nurse asked, “What is the purpose of having a courier if I still have to do the job myself?” Another reported that a singled missed service affected 47 patients. A third nurse lamented over care interruptions stating, “Cancer patients have missed medications and treatments multiple times.”

The anonymous survey of 308 nurses was conducted by American Nurse, the official journal of the American Nurses Association, on behalf of MedSpeed, from February 12 – March 26, 2024.