Short answer: British Columbia care homes should order adult underpads by size, gram weight and change frequency rather than by bed count, and split the order by unit because acuity differs between units in the same building. A 100-bed home typically uses between 1,500 and 3,000 underpads a month.
What drives underpad consumption in a care home?
Changes per resident per day, multiplied by the residents on absorbent products. Bed count is a poor proxy because a rehabilitation unit and a dementia unit in the same building can differ by a factor of two, and the order should follow the units.
| Unit type | Change pattern | Relative underpad use | Ordering note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehabilitation | Daytime focused | Lower | Smaller case quantities |
| Long-term care | Around the clock | Higher | Main working line |
| Dementia care | Frequent, unpredictable | Highest | Buffer within the unit |
Two pad lines cover most homes: 60 x 90 cm five-layer underpads with SAP for bed changes and 30 x 36 inch heavy absorbency underpads for higher-acuity units, with biological indicator 5-pack trial at $12.99 where the home also runs sterilization monitoring.
How should gram weight be chosen?
Gram weight is absorbent capacity per pad, and the right answer depends on how often the pad will actually be changed. A lighter pad changed on schedule can cost less than a heavy pad changed late, but only if the schedule holds, so the choice has to follow staffing reality rather than the ideal.
Backing matters alongside weight. A pad with a waterproof backing and a non-slip base stays in place; one without moves under the resident, which causes a second change and defeats the weight calculation entirely.
Where do British Columbia care homes buy underpads in bulk?
- Size and gram weight, stated on the purchase order.
- Backing type and whether the pad is designed to stay in place.
- Packed quantity per case, because case counts differ between suppliers.
- Unit split, since a single building average hides the difference between units.
Buy from a Canadian distributor that stocks both the working size and the bariatric size, and confirm freight at the case quantity you order. Underpads are light but bulky, so pallet freight can change the landed cost materially.
What should be documented with the order?
Size, weight, quantity and the unit the stock is assigned to. That record is what lets a home explain a change in consumption when acuity shifts, and it is also how a wrong gram weight gets caught before a pallet is opened.
Review the split quarterly. A home that opens a new dementia unit will see underpad consumption move before the bed count changes, and the order should follow the change rather than the last invoice.
For planning, work out monthly volumes with the clinic supply planner and print the monthly order checklist so par levels match room count. Multi-site buyers can order for a facility instead of buying retail boxes. Where sterilization questions land on the same desk, Ask a Sterilization Compliance Specialist. Reselling? become a distributor.
Ordering for a clinic, lab or care home? Wholesale and multi-site ordering covers case pricing and account setup, and the B2B wholesale collection lists the lines stocked for institutional buyers.
Related reading
- Underpads in Manitoba: bulk ordering for care homes
- How often clinics restock disposable underpads
- Qualifying a new underpad supplier
Frequently Asked Questions
How many underpads does a care home use per month?
Count changes per resident per day and multiply by the number of residents on absorbent products. A 100-bed home commonly lands between 1,500 and 3,000 underpads a month, and the range is wide because acuity and continence programmes differ.
What gram weight should be ordered?
Match the gram weight to the change frequency: a lighter pad changed often can cost less overall than a heavy pad changed less often, but only if the change actually happens. Homes that stock one weight for the whole building usually find it is wrong in one direction for half of them.
Are underpads and briefs interchangeable?
No. A brief is worn, a pad is placed. Homes sometimes substitute a pad for a brief during a stock-out, which increases changes and skin exposure, and the practice should be documented as an exception rather than normalised.
What should a bulk underpad order include?
Size, gram weight, backing type, packed quantity per case and the unit split. Adding the size and weight to the purchase order prevents a substitution that looks identical on the shelf and performs differently on the bed.
CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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