For years, hospitals and long-term care facilities have been sold on the promise that new technologies or process improvements will reduce staff burden. Yet time and again, those savings fail to materialize. Tools may help optimize workflows or improve documentation, but rarely do they produce the kind of labor relief that changes staffing dynamics. The Tibbe™ External Urinary Device (EUD), however, is a rare exception: a quantum improvement that not only preserves dignity and reduces complications for female patients, but genuinely frees up staff time in a measurable, operationally significant way.
The Hidden Labor Crisis of Incontinence Care
Urinary incontinence among female patients is one of the most labor-intensive issues in both acute and long-term care. In nursing homes, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) spend over 56% of their shifts managing incontinence—changing briefs, laundering soiled linens, cleaning patients, and remaking beds. A single major incontinence event, involving a wet bed and clothing, can consume 20–30 minutes of staff time, often requiring two staff members. Multiply that by dozens of events per facility per day, and the labor costs are staggering.
Even in hospitals, nurses report that 30–40% of their time is consumed by elimination-related care. These interruptions affect medication rounds, patient monitoring, and workflow continuity. Worse, the physical and emotional toll of incontinence care contributes to staff burnout and turnover, creating a vicious cycle of understaffing and reactive care.
The Tibbe™ EUD Is Not Just Another Process Tweak
Unlike traditional improvements—electronic charting, better scheduling, or new training protocols—the Tibbe™ EUD directly addresses the root cause of labor-intensive incontinence episodes: uncontrolled urine exposure to skin, clothing, and bedding. By effectively capturing and diverting urine away from the body, the Tibbe™ EUD can prevent the need for most full linen and clothing changes.
In practical terms, this means:
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Fewer briefs to change
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Fewer soiled garments and bedsheets to wash
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Less frequent perineal cleaning
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Fewer staff interruptions to respond to wet calls
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Lower risk of skin breakdown, UTIs, and falls
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Avoidance of indwelling catheters and catheter-associated infections (CAUTIs)
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Reduced employee injuries related to frequent lifting, turning, and bed changing
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Improved resident mobility, leading to better long-term health outcomes
This isn’t an efficiency gain measured in seconds. It’s a 20- to 40-minute savings per patient per incident. And for the average CNA or nurse managing 10+ patients per shift, it adds up quickly.
Real Impacts: Redeployment or Reduction of Labor
The labor savings with Tibbe™ EUD are not theoretical. They are real, repeatable, and scalable. A facility that deploys the device at scale can expect to:
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Reduce CNA staffing requirements without compromising care
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Reassign staff time to higher-value activities (mobility assistance, therapy support, proactive toileting)
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Lower overtime and agency labor costs
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Improve staff morale by reducing the most physically taxing and unpleasant tasks
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Lower risk of musculoskeletal injuries caused by repetitive patient handling
In contrast to the industry norm—where labor-saving technologies rarely justify their cost—the Tibbe™ EUD pays for itself by measurably decreasing one of the highest-volume caregiving burdens in the system.
Dignity, Safety, and Efficiency: No Longer Mutually Exclusive
What makes the Tibbe™ EUD so unique is that it delivers labor savings while improving patient dignity and safety. Women using Tibbe™ EUD avoid the embarrassment of wet clothes and beds. They avoid catheter-associated infections and maintain mobility longer. They stay drier, more comfortable, and more independent. These factors are known to support better outcomes in both hospital and long-term care populations.
For healthcare leaders under pressure to do more with less—without burning out their workforce—the Tibbe™ EUD offers a rare and powerful solution. This is not another broken promise of savings. It’s a transformation in how we manage incontinence, and a clear opportunity to rebalance staff workloads for better care.
Learn more about how Tibbe™ EUD can reduce labor costs and improve care in your facility.
