Background: The use of maintenance fluids (MF, continuous intravenous fluid (IVF)) to prevent dehydration is common, yet highly variable in practice. Unnecessary MF can cause patient harm including fluid overload, sleep disruption (associated alarms), and increase falls risks. In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rican facilities that were critical in producing IVF, exacerbating an existing [...]

Background: While predictive analytics can help anticipate trends, the specific consequences of a national disaster on the healthcare system are often unpredictable. Recently, the East Coast suffered supply chain disruptions due to hurricane damage, leading to dramatic shortages of saline, intravenous (IV) fluids, and dialysate. The damage to Baxter’s North Carolina facility, which represents 60% [...]