Nurses within the NHS and healthcare facilities aim to prioritise patient care and experience. However, the lack of effective automated inventory management technology can often take away valuable time from staff, holding them back from their key responsibilities. This can also put a strain on their colleagues and the entire department.
With increasing demand for healthcare services, it is vital that providers are able to prioritise patients and their work, rather than wasting valuable time on mundane stock management tasks. If it is necessary for them to manage some supplies, then having a stock management software system in place can provide significant help by automating tasks and streamlining processes.
Offering relevant training on this can also help staff to feel cared for and valued. Healthcare decision makers should aim to reduce operational hurdles by ensuring staff have easy access to necessary supplies, to enable them to provide timely and effective care. This, in turn, could encourage them to remain engaged and passionate about their work.
The role of department leads often entails some responsibility for inventory, including what stock is currently available, expiration dates, product locations, who who has permission to use particular items of equipment, and who is accountable for it.
If insufficient stock levels arise as a problem within healthcare facilities, other members of staff can often feel the burden of this. They may have to carry out tasks that take them away from their core responsibilities. A study of hospital supply chains found that nurses spend 14% of their time having to work around operational issues when equipment and supplies they require are not on hand (Tucker, A.L. et al, 2014). Automated inventory management solutions, such as StockAssist, possess the abilities to assist here and improve the lives of healthcare staff.
Barcode or radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is used alongside an inventory management software to track medical supplies and patient information, which allows for reliable data capture. Our own StockAssist Healthcare solution provides a modern technology that is easy to use and affordable. Designed specifically for the intricacies of healthcare environments, our solution enables minimal effort data input, saving valuable time and allowing patient care to take priority.
The benefits to your team
Enhance productivity
With an effective easy-to-use solution in place, staff will be more inclined to keep on top of things like stock levels and expiry dates.
Increase time efficiency
Manually inputting data and keeping track of stock locations can be cumbersome and time consuming tasks. Inventory management software can offer healthcare providers significant time savings, as manual tasks become automated. Time is freed up and can be prioritised more effectively.
Improve accuracy
An automated software solution tracks inventory data in real time and removes the need for spreadsheets or paper trails. This significantly reduces the risk of data inaccuracies as there is less chance of human error, thus taking some pressure off staff. It also ensures there is no miscommunication between staff or departments with regards to stock updates.
Boost staff morale
Having the time to accomplish necessary tasks will provide job satisfaction to your team and improve their productivity.
Ease the workload
An automated system will mean less pressure on staff to ensure data input is accurate, and they will have one less thing to worry about.
StockAssist Healthcare offers a real time view of inventory. Using barcode and RFID technology, inventory can be scanned in and out or reordered in a matter of seconds. From scanning things such as medication to patient wristbands, blood bags and much more, StockAssist Healthcare software has been trialled, tested, and approved for use. The GS1 approved software is currently being used throughout an NHS pathology department, and plans are underway to implement the solution in other areas within the department. This will enable all processes to be streamlined and will allow for visibility and consistency throughout. To find out more about StockAssist Healthcare, visit our website: Stock management control for medical & dental products (kmsoft.co.uk)
