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By Adam Landers, Head of Customer Excellence & Sales Force Effectiveness, Zuellig Pharma

Effective digital healthcare management ensures patient safety and accessibility. By prioritising patient-centric approaches and leveraging advanced technologies, healthcare organisations can optimise inventory management, reduce administrative burdens, and improve efficiency. A culture of innovation and leadership support will also realise the full potential of advanced technologies and support positive patient outcomes.

 

 

Patient safety and accessibility lies at the centre of a well-functioning healthcare ecosystem, and a patient-centric approach is key to ensuring patients receive timely access to their unique healthcare needs. While the industry often underscores the importance of equitable access to healthcare, timely access to medical supplies is often overlooked, despite its profound impact on the effectiveness of treatments and its direct impact on patient health outcomes.

Medical inventories act as a reserve that safeguards patient safety and supports positive health outcomes as it ensures that resources are available when needed. However, a recent study of 400 healthcare professionals revealed that nearly a quarter (24%) have seen or heard about a recalled or expired product being used on a patient. At the same time, more than half could recall a time when they did not have the product required for a patient’s procedure.1

On top of the above trend, the shift from bulk stockpiling to just-in-time inventory practices by healthcare providers to reduce cost and minimise waste means that the supply of medical inventory lies vulnerable to geopolitical headwinds and supply disruptions.

Thus, it is important for healthcare professionals to embrace advancements in medical inventory and supply management systems to ensure that their inventory is well managed, and patient needs can be prioritised and met.

Inertia for adopting digital technologies

While advanced digital solutions are now available throughout the supply chain, manual processes remain deeply ingrained in healthcare workflows, where 40% of surveyed workers spend at least a quarter of their work week on manual and repetitive tasks.2 Some barriers to adopting digital solutions healthcare professionals have pointed out include task-related barriers, patient-care barriers, and system barriers.3

Task-related barriers refer to the challenges healthcare professionals experience relating to changes in workflow, time commitment to adapt to the changes, and particularly, communications and onboarding in the process of adopting new ways of working. As with other organisational changes, healthcare professionals require time to learn and adapt to new systems, and this often result in a teething period during which documentation errors and/or the inappropriate use of systems can be observed.

On the other hand, patient-care barriers relate to the concern over the quality of care offered to patients. This is especially prevalent as we see in telemedicine and telepharmacies – these solutions have brought about greater access and convenience for both doctors and patients, and also helped to maintain access to essential health services amidst supply chain disruptions and lockdowns during COVID-19 pandemic. However, several healthcare professionals have rightly flagged the impact on the quality of care due to the lack of physical interaction which can affect the quality of information patients reveal, and the rapid way in which many such service providers approach patient care – to the extent that overreliance on such solutions may encourage a certain level of self-diagnosis among patients.

Last but not least, system barriers – which covers anything relating to the interface, reliability and ease of use of the platform. Issues around intuitiveness and usability are common concerns flagged across industries and organisations switching to digital platforms. With the bulk of data and communication done online, there is a heavy dependence on the system to operate smoothly to ensure continuity. With that, it is also important to look at data security, given the chatter and reports around data breaches in the past year.

Despite the challenges, manual processes – although habitual or second nature to users – can often cause data discrepancies resulting from human error, leading to inefficiencies that can be circumvented with the use of modern technology.

Therefore, while challenges to transform work processes persist, digitalisation can help to reduce administrative burdens and allow resources to be reallocated to better serve patients. However, a transition to digital solutions should be done without compromising the level of care that healthcare professionals provide to patients, and they should ultimately help, not hinder, ways of working for their end users.

Visibility and control critical to effectively manage inventory

Access to accurate and complete data empowers healthcare professionals and organisations to make informed decisions to better manage their inventory. A digitised supply management system will have accurate and up-to-date information, accessible by relevant parties in real time.

Digital purchasing channels such as dedicated B2B healthcare eCommerce platforms are examples of useful tools healthcare professionals can leverage to effectively manage their purchasing processes. It provides a comprehensive overview of inventory and a seamless order and returns process, providing greater transparency and reliability across the supply chain.

This enhanced visibility and control empowers healthcare professionals to make informed decisions on their inventory, which helps to ensure products are available to patients when needed, reduce waste from product expiration, mitigate risks stemming from manual processing, and achieve regulatory compliance. Such improvements in inventory management can afford healthcare professionals such as pharmacists more time to focus on patient care and safety, leading to more positive patient outcomes.

Embracing a spirit of innovation at every step of the value chain

A company’s executive leadership sets the tone and culture for the entire organisation. They have the authority to sway perceptions and affect employees’ attitude towards change. It is essential for leaders to build an environment that empowers employees to innovate and leverage an entrepreneurial mindset to explore new solutions that can mutually benefit patients and the organisation.

From warehousing to the individual pharmacist, healthcare professionals who interact with patients and partners on the ground on a daily basis would understand best the challenges from their day-to-day and hence be the best people to experiment with new work processes when given the technological resources and autonomy to.

A digitised healthcare system developed with the endorsement of leadership would mean the accelerated development of solutions that can empower healthcare professionals to effectively manage the value chain. From preventing inventory stockout and wastage to a smooth workflow between pharmacies, distributors and manufacturers, such changes will be instrumental in delivering optimal patient care.

Leadership buy-in and support for new innovations is critical as they oversee the resources of the organisation. With a forward-thinking mindset, leaders who are able to stay on top of digital trends and new technologies can allocate adequate resources such as budget, time, and talent to support the success of the modern healthcare organisation. This ultimately benefits the entire healthcare system with streamlined processes, care pathways and positive patient outcomes.

Digitalised healthcare management systems are here to stay

Digitalisation and the adoption of new technologies are unavoidable necessities in today's evolving healthcare landscape. While there may be initial challenges in transitioning from legacy processes, the benefits of improved patient care and outcomes far outweigh them.

Healthcare professionals should keep an open mind and adopt a patient-centric approach by understanding the long-term benefits of digitalising and continuous innovation, to free up administrative burden and focus more time and resources on direct patient care.

Furthermore, closer collaboration between stakeholders of the healthcare industry can also help to address gaps in existing workflows through emerging digital technologies. Through constant dialogue and understanding of the various challenges at different stages of the healthcare chain, stakeholders can work together to develop fit-for-purpose solutions that can help to resolve these challenges and allow healthcare professionals to operate in a more efficient, effective manner.

By embracing digital transformation, healthcare organisations can streamline processes and empower healthcare professionals with the right solutions to better serve patients and meet their healthcare needs, contributing to better patient care and outcomes.

 

Zuellig Pharma offers a digital, omnichannel approach for pharmaceutical and consumer health distribution in Asia through innovative solutions such as eZRx+, Zuellig Pharma’s premier self-service B2B eCommerce healthcare purchasing platform. Learn more about eZRx+ here.

This article was published in Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management.

 

1https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/healthcare-supply-chain.html

2https://www.exelatech.com/blog/persistence-manual-processes-healthcare

3https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322006907