Hospital inventory is a warehouse that is present in every hospital or clinic. It is a place in the hospital where all the medicine is stored. Each and every type of medicine is stored in the hospital inventory.
There are some medicines that are administered by the oral route, and then there are medicines that are administered by the intravenous route. Other medicines like subcutaneous injections, syringes, dressings, alcohol swabs, ointments, Foley catheters, gloves, masks, gowns, feeding tubes, respiratory supplies, and all other drugs used in the hospital are stored in the hospital inventory.
Inventory management of hospital consumables
Inventory management of all the materials used in the hospital is one of the essential pillars of good medical practice. We can’t deny the fact that supply chain management in the health system is the most difficult of all other departments. The health sector is based on the policy of meeting the needs of the patients when and where required. So, it is the duty of hospital inventory management that all the medicines and supplies are available in enough quantities all the time.
Basic inventory procedures and checklist
Basic inventory procedures require specialized skills and help from a number of staff members of the inventory. Everyone must be trained on how the inventory works. There are managers who are well-versed in the purchase and flow of the items used in the hospital. They are also aware of the fact that each ward or each department has different requirements for medical supplies in terms of quantity. This applies to the kind of equipment and medical supplies used in each department.
Then there are people from the hospital inventory who make the purchase of medical supplies. They are field workers which make sure the quality is purchased and handed over to the ones who have to load and unload the stuff. Drivers and workers of the hospital inventory need to know the basic templatization of inventory as well.
In the inventory, a checklist is used which is basically used as a reference to make sure that everything is purchased and is available in sufficient quantity. This checklist is the life savior for the hospital inventory staff.
Hospital inventory template
A hospital inventory template is used for the proper flow of inventory and an efficient inventory system. The hospital inventory template is used to check the medical supplies with their proper codes and identification.
For example, a carton of 5 cc intravenous syringes will be given a product code which is mentioned in the hospital inventory template. This product code is present in the box as well with the name of an item sometimes. The cost of the product is rarely mentioned in the hospital inventory template. The date of manufacture of the product and the date of expiry is the most common and essential part of the hospital inventory template.
The quantity of the product is another very important part of the hospital inventory template which tells us the available stock of a particular supply. This inventory template is properly signed by the supervisor ensuring sufficient supply.
