Αποθέματα και προμήθειες στις δομές υγείας : διαχείριση αίματος
Inventory and procurement in healthcare : blood management
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ΑποθέματαAbstract
The purpose of this research is to study the ways and the means for the successful
and sound inventory management, which are applicable in Healthcare. Methods and
models which have been used for decades in inventory management, could not be
far from one of the largest sectors such as that of Healthcare. The difficulties faced
by this industry, however, are special, as the products and goods you are called upon
to manage are specialized. In more detail, the management of blood products is a
challenge both for health units and for the entire World Health Organization.
The management of blood reserves and the problems where it flows are many. The
resources it needs to find are produced by a few suppliers worldwide and have high
costs, being capital-intensive, R&D-intensive, high-tech, application-specific, etc.
products. Such are all medical devices and medicines and they are produced by large
industries, which, in addition to having products with the above characteristics, have
oligopolistic prices, which the health structures will have to deal with.
For this reason, procurement departments use various techniques, such as optimal
order quantity and demand forecasting, so that Health Facilities achieve the optimal
minimum cost. Another cost, which they should take into account, is that of their
waste, as the legal framework is quite strict and enforces many mandatory measures.
Procurement departments in health facilities have many things to consider when
managing waste, for example whether to outsource or manage in-house.
Effective blood management cannot be done by a single health unit, but by all
Health Structures as a whole. Here the State agency and in particular the Ministries
of Health must take different strategies to achieve effective blood stocks, according
to the degree of social responsibility in their environment. Encouraging volunteers to donate blood and a steady supply of blood donors is critical, since blood cannot
come from animals, nor can it be artificially obtained. This encouragement is
achieved through various incentives, such as monetary incentives.