What Medical Staff need to know
SOUTH PUGET SOUND – We are currently experiencing a critical shortage of IV opioids, specifically IV hydromorphone and IV morphine, affecting both Providence Centralia and St. Peter hospitals. This shortage is driven by manufacturing delays and increased national demand, and there is no current estimated timeline for resolution. The shortage reached critical status as of Jan. 29 and continues. Next estimated release is mid-April.
Current supply status
- Hydromorphone: Approximately 6 week supply
- Morphine: Approximately 8 week supply
Items affected
- Hydromorphone: 0.2 mg/mL syringe, 0.5 mg/0.5mL syringe, 1 mg/mL syringe
- Morphine: 2 mg Carpujects 4 mg (1 mL) vials, 10 mg (1 mL) vials, 5 mg/10 mL vials
Immediate practice changes
Continue to follow conservation strategies, which includes IV morphine and IV hydromorphone restrictions which should only be used when ANY of the following criteria are met:
- Strict NPO status
- Speech-language pathology evaluation indicating medications must be given via non-oral delivery
- No feeding tube access
Preferred alternatives for pain management
Providers are strongly encouraged to use multimodal, opioid-sparing strategies whenever clinically appropriate.
Thank you for your partnership
We extend sincere thanks to the providers who are partnering with pharmacy — particularly those allowing automatic conversion of post-op IV hydromorphone or morphine to IV fentanyl. Your flexibility and collaboration are critical to ensuring that IV opioids remain available for patients with no viable alternatives during this shortage.
Questions or concerns? Please reach out to Pharmacy Services at St. Peter (360) 493-7411 or Centralia (360) 330-8567 for updates as we navigate this shortage together.
