Abstract
Inventory control is important for medical care and cost control. However, there are only a few reports on inventory management in clinical laboratories. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the introduction of inventory management software in the clinical laboratory supporting system on laboratory management and operations. The numbers of incomplete records were 1,465 by handwriting, 551 by FileMaker, and 383 by clinical laboratory supporting system, all of which decreased with the use of the management software (p < 0.05). Group A in the ABC analysis had the highest reduction rate of cost in the immunological test at 35%. The purchase amounts were 2.77 ± 2.04 million yen in 2019, 2.36 ± 430 thousand yen in 2020, and 2.97 ± 430 thousand yen in 2021. The sales ratios were 13.4% in 2019, 17.8% in 2020, and 20.7% in 2021. The inventory values were 6.29 ± 1.24 million yen in 2019, 4.91 ± 960 thousand yen in 2020, and 4.61 ± 500 thousand yen in 2021. The inventory turnover rates for reagents were 6.2 ± 8.9 in 2019, 5.3 ± 4.7 in 2020, and 9.1 ± 10.2 in 2021, and those for consumables were 4.2 ± 2.7 in 2019, 3.3 ± 2.4 in 2020, and 6.1 ± 4.7 in 2021. The purchase value and sales ratio increased, but the inventory value and inventory turnover improved (p < 0.05). The inventory management software in the laboratory system is useful in clinical laboratory work and is considered to contribute to efficient hospital management.
