Qualifying a New Disposable Underpad Supplier in Canada: Samples, Specs and a Floor Trial

Qualifying a New Disposable Underpad Supplier in Canada: Samples, Specs and a Floor Trial

An incontinence programme in a 140-bed home usually runs on two pad sizes and one supplier. The pads work. The price crept up twice last year. A distributor offers a comparable product at a lower cost per pad, and the purchasing manager is asked to make the switch within a month so the budget line lands where it was promised.

That is the point where most switches go wrong, and not because the new pad is bad. They go wrong because the comparison was made on price per case rather than cost per pad, because the sample was tested by feel rather than by volume, or because nobody checked whether the new case fits the shelf that the old case came off. A disciplined verification sequence takes about three weeks and prevents most of that.

What should a clinic verify first when qualifying a new underpad supplier?

Verify the product identity before the price. The first question is not what the case costs; it is what the case contains. Disposable underpads are described by size, absorbency, construction and count, and two products described as 30 by 36 inch pads can differ in weight, core composition and backsheet. The CliniEco Medical Adult Underpads 60 × 90 cm — 5-layer with SAP is a useful reference format, because the listing states size, layer count and core type in the same line, which is exactly the set of fields a comparison should start from.

Write those fields into a simple table before requesting samples. Size in centimetres and inches, weight per pad in grams, layer count, core type, backsheet type, pack count and case count. When the two columns cannot be filled from the supplier's documents, the comparison is not ready.

How should absorbency be compared between two suppliers?

Compare with a method, not an impression. A practical bench test uses a fixed volume of fluid at body temperature, poured at a steady rate in one spot, with three measurements: time until the surface reads dry to a paper towel, the spread diameter, and whether fluid reaches the backsheet within ten minutes. Repeat three pads per product and compare averages rather than single results.

The ISO 9073 series covers nonwoven test methods including liquid strike-through and demand absorbency, and suppliers who test to those methods can usually send a specification sheet that states the method. A supplier who can only quote a marketing absorbency figure is telling you that the number was produced for a brochure, not for a comparison.

Weight and absorbency do not move together forever. A pad can hold more fluid by adding superabsorbent polymer while reducing fluff pulp, which reduces thickness and weight but changes how the pad behaves under a seated resident. That is why the pour test includes pressure: place a 5 kg weight on the pad after the pour and check for strike-through after five minutes.

What documents belong in a supplier verification file?

Four documents carry most of the weight, and all four should exist before the first order ships. The device classification and the establishment licence number come first: many disposable underpads are sold as Class I medical devices in Canada, and the importer or distributor must hold a medical device establishment licence. Ask for the number and the classification the supplier relies on, and keep both in the file.

The specification sheet comes second, then the lot format, then the change-notification clause. The specification sheet should state size, weight, core, backsheet and test method. The lot format should be visible on the case so that a floor nurse can trace a bag back to a batch. The change clause should state how much notice the supplier gives before changing formulation, size or pack count — because an unannounced pack change silently moves your reorder point.

How do you compare cost without being misled by the case price?

Convert everything to cost per pad at the same size, then add freight and storage. A case of 50 pads at one price and a case of 100 at another can produce a case price that looks lower while the cost per pad is higher. Divide case price by pad count, then add the freight cost per case divided by the same count, and finally note the storage cube per pad.

Two further adjustments matter in a care setting. First, absorbency changes the number of pads used per resident-day, so a pad that costs 8 percent more but reduces changes by one per shift can be the lower-cost option. Second, case pack changes the reorder point: if the new case holds 100 pads instead of 50, the same shelf holds twice the days of cover, which is good, and the same reorder trigger now fires at twice the real stock, which is not. Update the par level in the same week as the switch.

What should a trial look like on the floor?

Run the trial on one unit for two to four weeks with a written log. Record pads used per resident-day, leaks reported at the morning check, skin observations recorded by the nurse, and any complaints from staff about fit or tearing. Keep the existing product on the same unit for a comparison week if the home can accommodate it, or compare against the previous month's log if it cannot.

The floor trial answers three questions that a bench test cannot: whether the pad stays in place during transfers, whether it is quiet enough for overnight use, and whether the pad's size matches the handling routine of the staff who use it. A pad that tests well but slides during a repositioning will be rejected by the people who use it, and that rejection is data.

Which Canadian requirements affect the switch?

Medical device status and establishment licensing come from the federal framework. Provincial rules then shape how the product is used: in Ontario long-term care, incontinence care sits inside the home's infection prevention and control program and its plan of care obligations, which the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 and its general regulation set out. Waste handling then decides where the used product goes, and in most provinces an incontinence pad without visible blood belongs in general waste rather than the biomedical stream.

That last point is worth a line in the switch file, because a pad that is thicker or heavier can change waste volume per resident-day. If the home's waste contract is priced by weight, a heavier pad has a cost that does not appear on the invoice.

How should the qualification be staged?

Stage it in four steps: approve the product on paper, approve it on the bench, approve it on one unit, then approve the contract. Each step has an exit condition. Paper approval means all six specification fields are filled. Bench approval means the pour test and the measurements are complete. Unit approval means two weeks of logs with no rise in leaks or skin issues. Contract approval means the par levels, the case cube and the change-notice clause are updated.

Keep one case of the old product for ninety days after the switch. It is the reference sample if a complaint arises, and it is the emergency cover if the new supplier's first delivery is late. Buying groups and multi-site operators can standardise the specification across sites and buy through the bulk quote desk so that every home in the group holds the same pad, which makes future comparisons faster.

What are the warning signs that a qualification should be paused?

Pause if the sample and the production lot differ in weight by more than a few percent, if the case label lacks a lot number, if the supplier cannot state a specification, or if the first delivery arrives with a different pack count than the sample. Those are not paperwork problems; each one predicts a comparison that cannot be reproduced later.

There is also a clinical warning sign. If night staff begin double-padding, or if the linen change rate rises on the unit during the trial, the new pad is not performing at the same job even if the bench numbers look close. A switch that trades a visible price reduction for an invisible increase in linen, labour and skin risk is not a saving.

Facilities that run several product lines at once often move unrelated categories in the same quarter. Resist that. Change one specification at a time, so that a rise in leaks or waste volume can be attributed to one decision. The same discipline applies to adjacent categories: a change to heavy-absorbency 30 × 36 inch underpads should not be evaluated in the same month as a new brief, because the two products interact in the same care routine.

For homes that also want a compostable option in the general waste stream, the PLA biodegradable underpads, 30 × 36 inch, 50 per pack belong in a separate trial with its own acceptance criteria, including whether the receiving composting facility accepts the product. The full long-term care supplies range is where most homes end up consolidating these decisions.

References

1. CSA Group — medical device and health care standards catalogue (checked 18 October 2026)
2. CSA Group store (standard lookup) (checked 18 October 2026)
3. ISO — ISO 9073 series, nonwoven test methods (checked 18 October 2026)
4. Health Canada — Medical devices (checked 18 October 2026)
5. Medical Devices Regulations (SOR/98-282) (checked 18 October 2026)
6. Public Health Agency of Canada — Infection prevention and control (checked 18 October 2026)
7. Public Health Ontario — Routine practices and additional precautions (checked 18 October 2026)
8. Public Health Ontario — Infection prevention and control (checked 18 October 2026)
9. IPAC Canada — infection prevention and control guidance (checked 18 October 2026)
10. Ontario Regulation 246/22 (long-term care general regulation) (checked 18 October 2026)
11. Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 (checked 18 October 2026)
12. Ontario Regulation 136/18 (Health Protection and Promotion Act) (checked 18 October 2026)
13. CCME — Canada-wide guidelines for biomedical waste (C-4) (checked 18 October 2026)
14. World Health Organization — Health care waste fact sheet (checked 18 October 2026)
15. CDC — Disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities (checked 18 October 2026)
16. AAMI — standards catalogue (checked 18 October 2026)

Printable companion: the free sterilization log sheet lays out the fields an inspection asks for, so the record is written down as you work instead of reconstructed later.

Want the sheet filled in for your cycle type rather than a blank form? The sterilization log generator prints a record with the columns your reprocessing documentation needs.

Buying for a facility? Open a wholesale and institutional account for case pricing, purchase-order billing and a named account contact. Reselling? become a distributor.

Related Reading

• 60x90cm vs 30x36 underpads: pads per pack and cost per pad
• Absorbent incontinence products in long-term care: capacity, size and purchasing unit
• A Regina buyer's guide to medical supplies: reorder points and audit-ready purchasing

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a trial of a new underpad supplier run before switching?

Run at least one full reorder cycle, which in most care settings means four to six weeks. That covers a normal month of use, one busy week and one delivery lead time. A two-day trial tests the sample, not the supply chain, and it will not reveal whether the case pack fits your storage room or whether the supplier ships on the day they promise.

What should be measured on underpad samples from two suppliers?

Measure the pad, not the pack. Record flat dimensions in centimetres, weight per pad, absorbency under a fixed pour, strike-through time and backsheet integrity after the pour. Then compare cost per pad at the same size. Pads sold as 30 by 36 inches are about 76 by 91 centimetres, which is a different footprint from a 60 by 90 centimetre pad.

Do underpads need a medical device licence in Canada?

Many disposable underpads are sold as Class I medical devices, and that status depends on the labelling and intended use rather than on the product name. The importer or distributor must hold a medical device establishment licence to import or distribute devices in Canada. Ask the supplier for the classification they rely on and the establishment licence number before you switch.

What paperwork should a clinic request from a new underpad supplier?

Ask for four things: the device classification and establishment licence number, a certificate of analysis or specification sheet for the lot, the lot number format used on cases, and a written notice period for formulation or size changes. A supplier that cannot produce a specification sheet cannot support an audit trail when a batch performs differently.

How much extra stock should a clinic hold during a supplier switch?

Hold four to six weeks of cover on the new product before the old supplier's stock runs out, and keep one case of the old product as a reference sample. The overlap protects residents if the new pad performs differently, and the retained case gives you something physical to compare against if you need to raise a complaint.

What is the most common failure when clinics switch underpad suppliers?

Case pack and cube. A new supplier may ship the same pad count in a larger case, which changes shelf space, reorder point and freight cost per pad. Recalculate cost per pad and storage volume before the first order, not after the pallet arrives, and check that the case label carries the size, count and lot in the same format your stock system expects.

How do we compare absorbency between two underpad brands fairly?

Use the same test on both. Place the pad flat, pour a fixed volume of fluid at body temperature at a steady rate in the same spot, record the time until the surface is dry to a paper towel and check whether fluid reaches the backsheet. Repeat three times per pad and compare averages. Marketing absorbency figures are not comparable unless the method is stated.

Can a switch to a thinner underpad reduce cost without affecting care?

Sometimes, but only if the pad still meets the job. A thinner pad with a higher superabsorbent share can hold the same volume, yet it may wet through faster under pressure. Test with the residents and tasks that use the pad — overnight, chair use, transfer — and keep the thicker product for the tasks that need it rather than moving the whole facility to one specification.

Last updated: October 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).