Hospital Sterile Supply and Equipment Inventory Management and Transportation Systems Analysis

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Abstract

Inventory management and transportation of medical supplies and equipment, either sterile or non-sterile, are major challenges in the hospital logistics system management, of which related activities in Thailand need to comply with the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC) standards. While the operational goal is generally to maintain sufficient stock and eliminate unnecessary storage expenses, attention has to be paid more on handling and transporting either sterile supplies in a way that avoids exposing to harmful elements or non-sterile supplies in a way that minimizing the risk of cross contamination. This research presents guidelines for managing sterile supply and equipment inventory using the ABC inventory analysis for prioritizing and categorizing items based on given criteria. The Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) technique, illustrating the trade-offs between inventory and ordering costs, was also applied to replicate the situation with uncertain demand. Based on the inventory and travel time data collected in every handling stage from the sterile supply department to the patient wards, the analytical results can provide a cyclical ordering plan of the sterile supplies and equipment with minimum total cost.