Middle East Crisis Directly Hits Nursing Care Sites: Nearly Half of Care Staff Already Feel 'Supply Shortage'; Difficulty Obtaining Plastic Consumables Becomes Barrier to Hygiene Management
The Middle East crisis has destabilized the supply of plastic consumables, severely impacting Japan's nursing care sites. A survey by Doctor Mate Co., Ltd. reveals that nearly half of nursing care staff feel a supply shortage, making it difficult to obtain essential disposable gloves for hygiene management.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 14:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 15:28 (56 min after Collected)
Doctor Mate Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Doctor: Naoki Aoyagi; hereinafter, Doctor Mate), which provides medical solutions for nursing care facilities, recently conducted a survey targeting 300 active nursing care related staff (caregivers, nurses, care managers, facility managers) working at nursing care facilities nationwide in Japan. The survey focused on the impact of recent increases in medical care demand and the tense situation in the Middle East on the nursing care industry, as well as staff awareness regarding knowledge acquisition.
The intensification of the Middle East situation and the resulting instability in crude oil supply are severely affecting the procurement of "naphtha," the main raw material for plastics. This depletion of plastic products is not limited to concerns in advanced medical settings like hospitals but is also beginning to impact nursing care sites where medical needs are increasing. Doctor Mate operates a medical-nursing collaboration platform that connects medical institutions in real-time, with services such as "Night On-Call Proxy™" introduced at nursing care sites in 47 prefectures. Recognizing the current global situation as a serious risk for nursing care sites, the company decided to conduct this survey.
**Survey Summary**
**Medical response increases at 60% of nursing care sites; Tracheal suctioning is the most common need.**
* 61.0% of active nursing and care professionals feel an increase in medical response situations in recent years. "Tracheal suctioning" was the most common specific need, followed by pressure ulcer management and infection control, indicating the diversification of duties.
**Approximately half of respondents feel the impact of plastic product shortages on their work.**
* Approximately half of all respondents stated that the supply situation of consumables "has an impact." Difficulty in obtaining "disposable gloves" and "disposable aprons," which are essential for hygiene management, is particularly prominent, and the shortage is beginning to spread to some medical supplies.
**70% of frontline staff are highly anxious about future material procurement, feeling a sense of crisis regarding maintaining hygiene management.**
* 70.0% of all respondents (210 people) expressed anxiety about future material procurement, with concerns about plastic-related products being overwhelmingly high. The instability of supply due to global affairs is threatening the stable operation of nursing care sites.
**"Medical needs" are increasing at nursing care sites.**
In this survey, when asked about the necessity of acquiring medical knowledge and performing medical care (e.g., enteral nutrition, suctioning, insulin injections) in recent years, approximately 60% (61.0%) of all respondents answered that they "feel an increase" in medical response situations. This highlights the reality that the standards for specialized knowledge required of staff are rapidly rising in diverse nursing care settings, such as special nursing homes and long-term care health facilities, due to the increasing severity of users' conditions and the sophistication of their needs.
When the group that reported an increase in medical needs (183 people) was asked about specific medical needs (multiple answers allowed), "tracheal suctioning (103 people)" was the most common, with more than half feeling its necessity. This was followed by "pressure ulcer (bedsores) management (88 people)," "infection control (79 people)," and "enteral nutrition (76 people)." This result indicates that duties in nursing care settings are becoming more specialized and diversified, including not only procedures accompanying daily physical assistance but also preparations for infectious diseases and enteral nutrition management.
**Approximately half of respondents answered that "the supply situation of plastic products has an impact."**
As of April 2026, approximately half of all respondents (148 people) answered that the supply situation of plastic products "has an impact" on their work.
Specifically, difficulty in obtaining "disposable plastic gloves (116 people)" and "disposable aprons/gowns (80 people)," which are essential for hygiene management, is prominent. Furthermore, the shortage is spreading to excretion care products such as diaper disposal bags and urine pads, as well as medical supplies like suction tubes, beginning to threaten the stable operation of nursing care sites.
**70% of all respondents feel anxious that future material procurement will become difficult.**
Furthermore, in the survey on awareness regarding future material procurement, 70% of all respondents (210 people) answered that they "feel anxious that procurement will become difficult."
When the anxious group was asked about specific items expected to have unstable supply, "plastic-related products (disposable gloves, aprons, etc.)" were overwhelmingly common (182 people), followed by "nursing/medical consumables (diapers, sheets, etc.)" and "hygiene products (masks, disinfectants, etc.)." This shows that frontline staff have an extremely strong sense of crisis regarding the stable supply of consumables that support hygiene management in nursing care settings, amidst the prolonged impact of global affairs and rising raw material prices.
In the free-form responses, there were mentions of delays due to regular stockouts of purchased items, efforts to conserve plastic gloves, anxiety about infection control, and even movements to reduce labor costs instead of cutting material costs.
**From Naoki Aoyagi, Representative of Doctor Mate**
Through this survey, the anxiety about consumable supply is not just a cost issue.
The intensification of the Middle East situation and the resulting instability in crude oil supply are severely affecting the procurement of "naphtha," the main raw material for plastics. This depletion of plastic products is not limited to concerns in advanced medical settings like hospitals but is also beginning to impact nursing care sites where medical needs are increasing. Doctor Mate operates a medical-nursing collaboration platform that connects medical institutions in real-time, with services such as "Night On-Call Proxy™" introduced at nursing care sites in 47 prefectures. Recognizing the current global situation as a serious risk for nursing care sites, the company decided to conduct this survey.
**Survey Summary**
**Medical response increases at 60% of nursing care sites; Tracheal suctioning is the most common need.**
* 61.0% of active nursing and care professionals feel an increase in medical response situations in recent years. "Tracheal suctioning" was the most common specific need, followed by pressure ulcer management and infection control, indicating the diversification of duties.
**Approximately half of respondents feel the impact of plastic product shortages on their work.**
* Approximately half of all respondents stated that the supply situation of consumables "has an impact." Difficulty in obtaining "disposable gloves" and "disposable aprons," which are essential for hygiene management, is particularly prominent, and the shortage is beginning to spread to some medical supplies.
**70% of frontline staff are highly anxious about future material procurement, feeling a sense of crisis regarding maintaining hygiene management.**
* 70.0% of all respondents (210 people) expressed anxiety about future material procurement, with concerns about plastic-related products being overwhelmingly high. The instability of supply due to global affairs is threatening the stable operation of nursing care sites.
**"Medical needs" are increasing at nursing care sites.**
In this survey, when asked about the necessity of acquiring medical knowledge and performing medical care (e.g., enteral nutrition, suctioning, insulin injections) in recent years, approximately 60% (61.0%) of all respondents answered that they "feel an increase" in medical response situations. This highlights the reality that the standards for specialized knowledge required of staff are rapidly rising in diverse nursing care settings, such as special nursing homes and long-term care health facilities, due to the increasing severity of users' conditions and the sophistication of their needs.
When the group that reported an increase in medical needs (183 people) was asked about specific medical needs (multiple answers allowed), "tracheal suctioning (103 people)" was the most common, with more than half feeling its necessity. This was followed by "pressure ulcer (bedsores) management (88 people)," "infection control (79 people)," and "enteral nutrition (76 people)." This result indicates that duties in nursing care settings are becoming more specialized and diversified, including not only procedures accompanying daily physical assistance but also preparations for infectious diseases and enteral nutrition management.
**Approximately half of respondents answered that "the supply situation of plastic products has an impact."**
As of April 2026, approximately half of all respondents (148 people) answered that the supply situation of plastic products "has an impact" on their work.
Specifically, difficulty in obtaining "disposable plastic gloves (116 people)" and "disposable aprons/gowns (80 people)," which are essential for hygiene management, is prominent. Furthermore, the shortage is spreading to excretion care products such as diaper disposal bags and urine pads, as well as medical supplies like suction tubes, beginning to threaten the stable operation of nursing care sites.
**70% of all respondents feel anxious that future material procurement will become difficult.**
Furthermore, in the survey on awareness regarding future material procurement, 70% of all respondents (210 people) answered that they "feel anxious that procurement will become difficult."
When the anxious group was asked about specific items expected to have unstable supply, "plastic-related products (disposable gloves, aprons, etc.)" were overwhelmingly common (182 people), followed by "nursing/medical consumables (diapers, sheets, etc.)" and "hygiene products (masks, disinfectants, etc.)." This shows that frontline staff have an extremely strong sense of crisis regarding the stable supply of consumables that support hygiene management in nursing care settings, amidst the prolonged impact of global affairs and rising raw material prices.
In the free-form responses, there were mentions of delays due to regular stockouts of purchased items, efforts to conserve plastic gloves, anxiety about infection control, and even movements to reduce labor costs instead of cutting material costs.
**From Naoki Aoyagi, Representative of Doctor Mate**
Through this survey, the anxiety about consumable supply is not just a cost issue.