REGISTRO DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12794628
Karine Alves Pereira
Abstract
The text emphasizes the importance of effective inventory management in hospitals to reduce medication waste and ensure optimal use of resources. It discusses how medication waste, resulting from unused or improperly disposed pharmaceuticals, has significant economic and environmental impacts. The text highlights various strategies for mitigating waste, including extending product shelf life, optimizing storage conditions, and promoting rational prescribing practices. It underscores the need for collaboration among manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, and patients to address the issue comprehensively. By maintaining a well-managed stock of medications, hospitals can prevent treatment delays, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to a more sustainable and efficient healthcare system.
Keywords: Medication waste; Inventory management; Sustainable healthcare; Pharmaceutical supply chain; Healthcare cost reduction.
Introduction
Medication waste refers to any pharmaceutical product that remains unused or is not fully consumed throughout the pharmaceutical supply and usage chain (West et al., 2015; World Health Organization, 2014). The waste of potentially usable medications undermines pharmaceutical budgets, leading to an annual loss of up to $5.4 billion in the United States (Law et al., 2015). Medication waste significantly impacts healthcare budgets and harms the environment. Thus, preventing medications from becoming unused throughout the pharmaceutical chain offers a promising approach to achieve sustainable medication supply and usage (Smale et al., 2021).
The absence of policies for returning unwanted medications in some countries, along with public unawareness, negligence, or low literacy, contribute to improper disposal of unused medications, potentially leading to adverse economic and environmental impacts. Various mitigation strategies, such as smart medicine cabinets, have emerged to reduce medication wastage. Collaborative efforts involving the public, healthcare providers, and diverse governmental and private organizations are necessary to effectively address the issue of medication wastage (Makki et al., 2019).
Development
In recent years, the hospital supply chain has faced significant disruptions, putting hospitals and other medical facilities at risk of inadequate medical supplies, leading to reduced patient safety and poor outcomes. For instance, drug shortages can hinder the timely treatment patients require.
Effective inventory management is crucial for hospitals, as each operates within a budget for medical instruments, medications, and other supplies. Without proper techniques, facilities may order excess inventory, leading to waste. Improved inventory control can result in significant cost savings, especially for those that previously exceeded their budgets and wasted supplies.
The accumulation of unused medications results in waste and significant economic losses. Healthcare systems strive to provide patients with the highest quality service by maximizing the use of available resources and minimizing financial losses. Waste can be defined as “any substance or object the holder discards, intends to discard, or is required to discard.” Unused medications include expired, spilled, and contaminated pharmaceutical products, as well as drugs, vaccines, and sera that are no longer needed and must be disposed of properly. Although the issue of unused medications is well-known and defined worldwide, there are still obstacles to reducing this waste (Braund et al., 2008; Hazell, Robson; 2015). Unnecessary prescriptions, coupled with poor medication adherence, quietly contribute to the depletion of finite resources, thereby exacerbating the already escalating healthcare costs.
Effective inventory management in hospitals is crucial to prevent medication waste and ensure that resources are used optimally. Hospitals must maintain a well-managed stock of medications to ensure that they are always available when needed, preventing treatment delays and improving patient outcomes. Proper inventory management involves tracking medication usage patterns, predicting future needs, and ensuring that medications are stored under appropriate conditions to maximize their shelf life.
An efficient inventory system helps in reducing the instances of expired or unused medications, thus minimizing waste and associated costs. It also ensures that medications are rotated properly, and older stock is used before newer stock, which is essential in preventing wastage due to expiration. Furthermore, having a robust inventory management system allows hospitals to respond quickly to changes in demand, such as during an outbreak or a sudden increase in patient admissions.
Figure 1: The Strategic Framework of the Global Patient Safety Challenge.
Source: World Health Organization
The careful planning and management of stocks of disposable medical supplies, such as caps and gowns, are essential to the efficient operation of hospitals. This strategic approach not only enhances the protection of healthcare workers and patients but also boosts operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory compliance. By implementing innovative inventory management practices, hospitals can ensure they are well-prepared for any unforeseen challenges, ultimately providing optimal care in a dependable and consistent manner.
Patient safety is also at stake when expired medications and other supplies remain in inventory, as these can reduce treatment efficacy. Retaining recalled items, such as certain pharmaceuticals, poses additional dangers. Adopting best practices in inventory management is essential to protect patients and ensure only safe, effective supplies are available.
Moreover, staff shortages in hospitals can cause safety issues, including treatment delays and medication errors. Effective inventory management enhances staff efficiency even during personnel shortages, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care and are protected from errors.
Lastly, relying on manual inventory processes is prone to human error. Incorrect inventory counts or failure to update inventory levels accurately can lead to supply shortages or other issues. Implementing reliable inventory management systems can reduce these errors, ensuring hospitals maintain appropriate supply levels and continue to provide optimal patient care.
Manufacturers can help ensure the sustainable supply and use of medications by extending product shelf life, choosing more environmentally friendly storage conditions, and adjusting packaging sizes. Distributors play an important role in optimizing inventory management and making shelf life policies more flexible. Authorities can promote sustainability by raising awareness and implementing measures to minimize waste. Increasing patient awareness about medication waste is essential to encourage conscious requests and participation in waste reduction initiatives. Pharmacists can contribute by efficiently managing inventories, improving medication preparation processes, optimizing dispensing, and redistributing unused medications. Prescribers can adopt rational prescribing practices, considering the appropriate amount of medications and short-term prescriptions. Given the variety of causes of medication waste at all levels of the pharmaceutical supply and use chain, no single intervention is sufficient to solve the problem. Therefore, shared responsibility from all stakeholders is necessary (Smale et al., 2021).
Conclusion
Medication waste is a significant issue that impacts both healthcare budgets and the environment. The improper disposal of unused medications, driven by factors such as the lack of return policies and public unawareness, exacerbates these impacts. Effective inventory management in hospitals is essential to prevent medication waste, ensuring the optimal use of resources and improving patient outcomes. Strategies such as extending product shelf life, optimizing storage conditions, and promoting rational prescribing practices are crucial. Collaborative efforts from manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, patients, and authorities are necessary to tackle the issue comprehensively. By adopting a shared responsibility approach, the healthcare system can move towards a more sustainable and efficient management of medications, ultimately reducing waste and associated costs.
References
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