INVENTORY CONTROL IN HOSPITAL OR CONTROL OF DATED OR PERISHABLE INVENTORY

WHAT IS INVENTORY ? Inventory is defined as itemized list of goods with their estimated prices. It is the annual account of stock taken in any business.

Control is defined as the act of exercise, directing, guiding or retaining power Biological products and drugs for which the drug rules prescribe an expiry date and require a special control are called as dated or perishable inventory

In order to ensure the potency of drugs at the time of supply to the patients and to make sure that the store does not carry out inventory of such useless products, it is necessary to control them. Therefore this can be achieved by using a form as given below.

Each product bearing a date of expiry is entered on this sheet which provide the name of product, the date of purchase, date of manufacture, control number and date of expiry. The pharmacist can tell which product is expiring and should replaced or returned for credit

TWO METHODS OF INVENTORY PHYSICAL INVENTORY PERPENTUAL INVENTORY/INTERNAL OR CONTINUES INVENTORY

PHYSICAL INVENTORY Taking a total physical inventory is normally required by the team of auditors, appointed by the hospital to check the inventory control Usually taking an actual stock of physical inventory is not possible without a great deal of planning and attention about details. About 2 to 3 months before taking an inventory the pharmacist should review the stock and remove all the articles which are not moved since last inventory. This items should be removed and returned for getting a credit whenever possible, if it is not possible to take such an action they should be written off from inventory via adjustment in the account books in account department office.

The inventory should be recorded on the inventory sheets. As each sheet is completed it is passed on to the auditor supervising the inventory

Inventory sheet

PERPETUAL INVENTORY It is an ideal method which keeps the record maintained upto date. In small hospital pharmacy, the pharmacist at the end of each day summarizes all drugs charge slips and make entry in the perpetual inventory file. This process of tabulation may be achieved by either peg board method or by the use of punched cards.

PEG BOARD METHOD This method requires a peg board and a requisition form ( i:e formal demand form ) This forms are then aligned on the boards, so that the first sheet is entirely visible. The forms are summarize across into master requisition form which is used for posting the inventory.

PUNCHED CARDS This system may utilized a punched card in which the data are punched in the various fields in the body of the card. By using this type of system it is possible to have a purchase order. This cards are then fed into the calculators and tabulators which issue a comprehensive stoke status report. This report may be produced daily, weekly, and on monthly basis.

INVENTORY ROOM IN A HOSPITAL

REFERENCE A Text – book of hospital pharmacy, s.h merchant and dr.j.s. Quadry,b.s. shah Prakashan , Ahmedabad