Technology
Calls to accelerate inventory intelligence
Oliver Ledgard provides an insight into the findings of a recent study, which shows that integrating automated and digitised inventory tracking systems is a major priority for healthcare organisations.
The consequences of clinicians being unable to locate the right equipment, materials, and supplies at the right time for the right need can result in inefficiency, frustration, and can negatively impact patient care – this is according to the findings of a new report.1 Non-clinical leaders bear the responsibility
of ensuring clinicians and staff are equipped to deliver the best possible patient care and technology is helping them to do it. The Zebra Study included insights from non-clinical leaders across the UK and the US about the crucial impact their teams have on patient care. The results show the significance essential medical asset availability has on clinical efficiency and the technologies poised to help reduce errors, predict demand, enable real-time visibility, and ultimately elevate patient care. In this article, we explore some of the key findings underscoring how the work behind the scenes in healthcare – managing inventory, materials, and strategic supplies intelligently with technology – is critical to delivering safer, better patient outcomes and the technology poised to revolutionise hospital materials management.
The heartbeat of healthcare delivery – materials management Efficient inventory management is critical for hospitals to ensure optimal care. It is foundational to patient care – if clinicians, physicians, or ancillary staff don’t have the tools they need, they cannot provide the highest standard of care patients expect and deserve. This fact is not lost on non-clinical leaders.
Eight in 10 (84%) surveyed for Zebra’s study agreed their role in managing inventory directly impacts patient safety. Additionally, 76% of decision-makers acknowledge that procedure or surgery cancellations due to out-of-stock, low-stock, or lost supplies are significant problems for their organisations. Beyond disrupting patient care, supply issues also diminish patients’ trust in the hospital. As a chief nursing officer explained in the Zebra report, Critical Supplies, Critical Outcomes: The
Quest for Excellence in Materials Management.1 “If the patient’s procedure has to be cancelled due to supply issues, that reduces the patient’s trust in their facility. They don’t see it as a supply issue; that demonstrates to them a lack of dependability in their healthcare.” Singular supply issues reflect a broader
systemic problem. Leaders surveyed for the Zebra study reported inadequate IT infrastructure and outdated legacy systems are roadblocks to progress. Seven in 10 (74%) acknowledge their organisation needs to improve systems for clinicians to report adverse events caused by out-of-stock/low-stock/ lost inventory, equipment, or supplies to better support patient safety. Furthermore, 72% report their organisation is under pressure to update and digitise inventory management and tracking systems.
Enabling clinical efficiency and safer patient outcomes Efficient clinical workflows are essential to delivering high-quality care and a seamless experience for patients. However, inefficient inventory management impedes these outcomes and adds more stress and work for clinicians. A McKinsey report indicates that nurses desire to reduce time spent searching for medical assets by half during shifts to increase their ability to focus on patients.2 A chief surgical nurse at a UK hospital who
was surveyed for the Zebra study explained, “We put an awful lot of responsibility onto the clinical staff to make sure that they’ve got the right equipment,” she said. “When you get to that stage where you’re calling other hospitals, reps, and anyone in the catalog so you can get hold of some equipment, it is really stressful.”
March 2025 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 57
t
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
