Technology
The findings from the Zebra study align with this perspective as 77% of leaders agree clinical staff spend too much time searching for medical equipment, materials, or supplies. This inventory inefficiency hampers clinical efficiency and impacts patient safety and outcomes. As Wallace Hopp, Chair Committee on Security
of America’s Medical Product Supply Chain, surveyed for the Zebra study, said: “Not being able to buy toilet paper or a television set is certainly an inconvenience. But not being able to get a chemotherapy drug or mechanical ventilator is life-threatening.” The benefits of integrating digitisation into hospital supply management extend beyond better stock control. Streamlining inventory management with digital tools reduces the need for clinician workarounds and contributes to improved patient outcomes. For example, with a digital materials management system, clinicians have more time to focus on patients rather than managing, counting, or checking stock, boosting clinician’s efficiency and effectiveness, as well as patient safety. Leaders cite time savings, higher satisfaction for physicians and clinicians, enhanced patient care, throughput, and safety among the benefits of optimised inventory and materials management processes. Leaders are also keenly aware of the need for visibility into hospital assets. Most rate the ability to track the real-time location and use of assets as extremely/very important including consumable or medical supplies and pharmaceuticals (90%), sterile instruments, supplies, and implants (88%).
Mapping strategic solutions with technology While hospital leaders recognise the criticality and feel the pressure to modernise hospital materials management, there are multiple hurdles to clear to achieve it. Just over half of leaders (51%) cite a lack of appropriate IT infrastructure with four in 10 citing complex
integration with legacy systems, budgetary constraints, and lack of an implementation strategy, or where to start as barriers to digitising inventory management. Zebra’s study shows several innovative
technologies are leading the way to help navigate the roadblocks to modernising hospital materials management.3
Wearable devices and
real-time location systems (RTLS) are at the forefront, with seven in 10 leaders reporting they plan to implement them in their hospitals by 2029. Radio frequency identification (RFID) and handheld mobile computers integrated with barcode scanning are close behind with six in 10 leaders saying they plan to implement them over the next five years. Integrating these digital solutions can change the game in materials management. It enables clinicians and staff to identify, track and capture
While hospital leaders recognise the criticality and feel the pressure to modernise hospital materials management, there are multiple hurdles to clear to achieve it. Just over half of leaders (51%) cite a lack of appropriate IT infrastructure with four in 10 citing complex integration with legacy systems, budgetary constraints, and a lack of an implementation strategy.
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the location and status of needed resources – from equipment to pharmaceuticals and more – in real time.
Most (84%) leaders believe integrating
automated and digitised inventory tracking systems of anything used or administered at patients’ bedsides is a priority for their organisations. They are turning to the power of AI-powered advanced analytic software to enable data-driven decision-making. Eighty percent believe that artificial intelligence (AI), predictive (73%) and prescriptive analytics (65%) are the solutions that would improve inventory visibility and accuracy. As one chief nursing officer surveyed said about AI, “It’s not a question of if we’re going to use it; it’s how we’re going to use it.”
Accelerating inventory intelligence Hospital leaders are wasting no time when it comes to implementing inventory management software solutions. According to the study, 97% of leaders will have already implemented or plan to implement AI, prescriptive analytics (97%), and predictive analytics (98%) by 2029. This advanced tool mix can help predict inventory needs, optimise materials management, and guide decisions with real-time data. How? AI uses algorithms to analyse historical data
and forecast demand based on it, proactively flagging shortages or overstocks. It can also predict maintenance needed for equipment enhancing its reliability and minimising downtime. Predictive analytics uses data
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