Abstract
BackgroundMaintaining an efficient and effective inventory management system ensures a reliable supply of laboratory commodities. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the performance of inventory management for laboratory commodities in public hospitals in the Jimma zone.MethodsA facility-based cross-sectional descriptive study, accompanied by a qualitative method, was conducted in seven public hospitals between April 30 and May 29, 2019. We collected data through document reviews (225 bin-cards), physical observation, self-administered questionnaires, and in-depth interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using Excel spreadsheets and SPSS version 24. Fifteen key informants of different backgrounds took part in the qualitative study. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis techniques.ResultsAll the public hospitals in the zone were included in the study, making a response rate of 100%. Of the total estimated bin-cards, 225 (69.9%) of them held along with the items, and only 30.4% of them filled accurately. In four of the hospitals, pharmacists determined how much to order. Five of the hospitals used average monthly consumption data to calculate purchase quantity. Over the past 6 months, four of the hospitals had placed at least one or two emergency orders. The wastage rate of the commodities in the hospitals was 27.2% and resulted in a loss of about 10,248.5 US dollars. The hospitals had met 70.6% of the criteria for proper storage conditions. Budget constraints, absence of prompt administrative support, lack of staff commitment, and frequent shortages of commodities on the part of suppliers were major bottlenecks of inventory management.ConclusionsThe hospitals had weak inventory management practices, showed by inaccurate records, stock-outs (frequent emergency orders), a high wastage rate compared to national baseline statistics, and the storage conditions below the standard.
Highlights
Maintaining an efficient and effective inventory management system ensures a reliable supply of laboratory commodities
Study area and period The study was done in public hospitals in Jimma zone, Oromia regional state, southwestern Ethiopia
The most recent supervision was conducted in the last month in one of the hospitals
Summary
Maintaining an efficient and effective inventory management system ensures a reliable supply of laboratory commodities. Laboratory facilities are integral parts of health care and assist the provision of quality health services through reliable diagnosis and monitoring of medical outcomes [1,2,3] Their effectiveness relies on the sustainable availability of supplies, chemicals, and reagents with working equipment and facilities [3]. After commodities procured and received by the hospital organization or company, it must be delivered to the point of service provision where the customers obtain the products/services During this process, IM informs store managers and logistic officers when to order or issue, how much to order or issue, and how to maintain adequate stock to avoid shortages and oversupplies [7,8,9]
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