DUBLIN, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Better
hospital supply chain management leads to better quality of care
and supports patient safety, according to a new Cardinal Health
survey of hospital staff and decision makers. Despite respondents
rating their supply chain processes as "good," one in four hospital
staff have seen or heard of expired product being used on a
patient, and 18 percent have seen or heard of a patient being
harmed due to a lack of necessary supplies.
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"Supply chain management is not only a key business tool, but an
essential component in supporting patient safety and care," said
Shaden Marzouk, MD, MBA, chief
medical officer at Cardinal Health. "Our survey found that many
hospitals are experiencing patient safety issues that could be
prevented through supply chain improvements. Ultimately, everyone
at the hospital plays a role in advocating for a more efficient
supply chain that will allow physicians and nurses to put their
time to its best use: delivering high-quality care more effectively
and efficiently."
The survey also found that supply chain tasks are impacting
frontline clinicians. Physicians and nurses currently spend, on
average, nearly 20 percent of their workweek on supply chain and
inventory management. If they could reallocate this time, more than
half said that they would spend this time with patients, while
others said they would focus on research and education or training
new staff.
This data points to the critical need for a modern supply chain
that is beyond "good." In fact, more than half of hospital staff
strongly agree that better supply chain management leads to better
quality of care and supports patient safety. They also largely
believe the supply chain is critically important in addressing
cost, quality and patient satisfaction.
Supply chain automation and analytics is the next frontier
for improving care
The survey revealed nearly one-third
of respondents haven't implemented a new inventory management
system in at least six years, and another 25 percent don't know if
it's ever been done. In fact, 78 percent are manually counting
inventory in some parts of their supply chain and only 17 percent
have implemented an automated technology system to track products
and inventory in real time.
"In a field like healthcare, driven by science and technological
innovation, advanced inventory systems are the next frontier for
improving care," said Scott Nelson,
senior vice president of Supply Chain at Cardinal Health."Today,
automated technology for the healthcare industry exists to deliver
supply chain data and analytics, which can support patient safety,
reduce costs and improve workflows."
Supply chain administrators had the greatest influence over
supply chain decisions, followed by group purchasing organizations,
but all respondents reported having some influence. To help supply
chain leaders assess how effectively their supply chain operations
are performing, Cardinal Health launched an Inventory Management IQ
quiz.
The Cardinal Health Hospital Supply Chain Survey, fielded by
SERMO, provides a comprehensive look at hospital supply chain
perceptions from supply chain administrators, service line leaders,
physicians and nurses. Additional survey results are available at
Cardinal Health Essential Insights.
About Cardinal Health Hospital Supply Chain Survey
This study was fielded Oct. 19 - Nov. 4,
2016, using an online survey methodology. The samples were
drawn from SERMO's Online Respondent Panel of Health Care
Providers, which includes over 600,000 medical professionals in
the United States. The study
included 403 respondents total, including frontline healthcare
providers in hospitals (n=201), service line leaders in hospitals
(n=100), and hospital/supply chain administrators (n=102). All
survey data on file at Cardinal Health.
About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:
CAH) is a global, integrated healthcare services and products
company, providing customized solutions for hospital systems,
pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and
physician offices worldwide. The company provides clinically-proven
medical products and pharmaceuticals and cost-effective solutions
that enhance supply chain efficiency. Cardinal Health connects
patients, providers, payers, pharmacists and manufacturers for
integrated care coordination and better patient management. Backed
by nearly 100 years of experience, with more than 37,000 employees
in nearly 60 countries, Cardinal Health ranks among the top 25 on
the Fortune 500. For more information,
visit cardinalhealth.com, follow @CardinalHealth on
Twitter and connect on LinkedIn
at linkedin.com/company/cardinal-health.
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SOURCE Cardinal Health