Inventory management performance for laboratory commodities in public hospitals of Jimma zone, Southwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Maintaining an efficient and effective inventory management system ensures a reliable supply of laboratory commodities. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the performance of inventory management for laboratory commodities in public hospitals in the Jimma zone. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional descriptive study, accompanied by a qualitative method, was conducted in seven public hospitals between April 30 and May 29, 2019. We collected data through document reviews (225 bin-cards), physical observation, self-administered questionnaires, and in-depth interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using Excel spreadsheets and SPSS version 24. Fifteen key informants of different backgrounds took part in the qualitative study. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. RESULTS: All the public hospitals in the zone were included in the study, making a response rate of 100%. Of the total estimated bin-cards, 225 (69.9%) of them held along with the items, and only 30.4% of them filled accurately. In four of the hospitals, pharmacists determined how much to order. Five of the hospitals used average monthly consumption data to calculate purchase quantity. Over the past 6 months, four of the hospitals had placed at least one or two emergency orders. The wastage rate of the commodities in the hospitals was 27.2% and resulted in a loss of about 10,248.5 US dollars. The hospitals had met 70.6% of the criteria for proper storage conditions. Budget constraints, absence of prompt administrative support, lack of staff commitment, and frequent shortages of commodities on the part of suppliers were major bottlenecks of inventory management. CONCLUSIONS: The hospitals had weak inventory management practices, showed by inaccurate records, stock-outs (frequent emergency orders), a high wastage rate compared to national baseline statistics, and the storage conditions below the standard.