Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Medical Product Shortages in the United States: Demographic and Geographic Factors and Impacts

Publication Date
Authors
Trini Beleche, Allison Kolbe
  • Medical product shortages are an ongoing public health concern, with at least 140 products in shortage as of July 2024.
  • We use the Household Pulse Survey to examine how many adults are affected by shortages of critical medical products in the United States.
  • In fall 2023, shortages of medical products impacted about 38.8 million (18 percent) of individuals in the United States.
  • Nearly half of those impacted by a shortage reported delaying or stopping use because a product was not available; 32 percent and 24 percent reported negative mental health and physical health effects, respectively.
  • These results highlight the real-world impact of shortages on patients and the importance of identifying new strategies to prevent shortages and mitigate the impact of shortages when they occur

Related Products: