Question

A stock-out is common when supplies are distributed throughout all areas of the hospital. What are some ways to reduce stock-outs?

Answer 1

Below are some ways to reduce stock-outs in hospitals -

1. Employing better inventory management practices in determining the areas which require more quantity of supplies to ensure they are stocked adequately compared to the areas which require lesser quantity of supplies. This can be effectively handled through Inventory Management system which gives a real-time view of the stock and the requirement to replenish the supplies.

2. Stock needs to be used based on the First Expiry First Out rule where the stock with earlier expiry date needs to be used first followed by the one with later expiry date. This avoids stockouts due to expired inventory.

3. Safety stock needs to be maintained where necessary to handle demand spikes.

4. Improve the communication among the nurses, staff, materials management department, clinicians etc. to ensure they continuously communicate on the inventory management issues.