INVENTORY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN HOSPITALS IN THE MASHONALAND REGION OF ZIMBABWE
Abstract
The study sought to ascertain the effect of inventory management strategies on healthcare delivery within provincial hospitals in the Mashonaland Region of Zimbabwe. A mixed method approach and a descriptive survey design were used in the investigation. The study population was drawn from Bindura, Chinhoyi and Marondera Provincial Hospital. A total of 80 people comprised of patients and employees from procurement, stores and dispensary department were selected based on convenience sampling technique. A sample size of 66 people was obtained using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula while structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants. In addition, descriptive statistics were utilized, while Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to establish the relationship between research variables. According to the findings of the study, hospitals used economic order quantity, just in time, activity-based cost analysis, and vendor managed inventory to manage their inventories. In addition, the study revealed that supply chain disruptions lack of professionalism and inaccurate data are some of the key challenges that hinder effective inventory management. As a result, the study concluded that there is a positive relationship between inventory management strategies and healthcare delivery. To improve the diagnosis, treatment of diseases and restoration of patients’ health, the study recommended that there is need for a collaborative approach involving all relevant stakeholders to improve inventory of drugs and other supplies in hospitals.
The registered author has submitted the article (the "Work") for Transport & Logistics the International Journal published by the Institute of Logistics, FBERG, Technical University of Košice.
The author transfers to the Institute of Logistics, FBERG, Technical University of Košice (the "Publisher") during the full term of copyright, the exclusive rights comprised in the copyright of the Work, including but not limited to the right to publish the Work and the material contained therein throughout the world, in all languages and in all media of expression now known or later developed, and to license or permit others to do so.
Notwithstanding the above, the author retains the following:
- Proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights.
- The right to make copies of all or part of the Work for the author’s use in classroom teaching.
- The right to use, after publication, all or part of the Work in a book by the author, or a collection of the author’s work.
- The right to make copies of the Work for internal distribution within the institution which employs the author.
- The right to use figures and tables of the Work, and up to 250 words of text, for any purpose.
- The right to make oral presentations of material from the Work.
- The right to publish an extended, updated or rewritten version in another periodical.
- The right to include the work (post and preprint version) in an institutional repository.
The author agrees that all copies made under any of the above conditions will include a notice of copyright and a citation to the Publication.
The author represents that the Work is the author’s original work. If the Work was prepared jointly, the author agrees to inform the co-authors of the terms of this Agreement and to obtain their permission to sign on their behalf. The Work is submitted only to this, and has not been published before. (If excerpts from copyrighted works are included, the author will obtain written permission from the copyright owners and show credit to the sources in the Work.) The author also represents that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the Work contains no libellous or unlawful statements, does not infringe on the rights of others, or contain material or instructions that might cause harm or injury.
