Facts about Stock Control of Medical Supplies and Inventory Management System: Results of a Survery / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

How should the “management of things” be? We carried out a questionnaire survey to find out the facts about the stock control of medical supplies and inventory management system in hospitals affiliated with the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives for Health and Welfare. Questionnaires were sent out to 98 hospitals with not less than 100 beds. Fifty-one hospitals responded. The number of effective replies was 49. We made analyses of the data as best we could, especially the data on the operation of the inventory management system and stock control.(1) After the adoption of an inventory management system, 41% of the hospitals took more than half a year before the system was put on the right track. (2) The system has turned out to be conductive to the streamlining of such work as placing orders, delivery, storing and stocktaking. (3) Concerning the management of the master file in the system, many respondents gave the accuracy of data, prompt processing and working efficiency as the problems yet to be addressed. (4) In the hospitals using an inventory management system, the in-hospital type SPD took 17.7 days in terms of the holding period in the case where users are supposed to control the consumption of medical materials as against 8.3 days in the case where clerks in charge of warehousing deliver medical materials and take on consumption control. (5) About 80% of the hospitals have introduced their own inventory management system in an effort to promote the standardization of materials, purchase materials in proper quantities, carry out inventory and consumption control, and create an efficient supply system.