Determinants of Pharmaceuticals Inventory Management Performance: A Study on Jimma Zone Public Health Facilities

Abstract

Inventory management for pharmaceutical supply sounds easy all that must be done is to order, receive, store, issue and reorder limited list of items. This research study aims to find out the determinants of pharmaceuticals inventory management performance in Jimma Zone Public Health facilities. As leading factors management support, documentation, and staff skill with pharmaceuticals inventory management performance were used. The study employed a both quantitative and qualitative research approach and Descriptive and explanatory research design. Descriptive statistics using frequency, percentage, mean &SD and inferential statistics by using Pearson correlation matrix and multiple regression model to investigate the causal relationships between the determinants of inventory management. Data were collected from the sample of Jimma zone 45 health (3, hospitals and 42 health centers) facilities based on simple random sampling and using questionnaire and semi structured Interview. Findings from the study indicated the current pharmaceuticals inventory management performance much more influenced by the management ownership, documentation and the skill of professionals working in the organization. In addition to this, the three independent variables; management support, staff skill and documentation related information significantly explain the variations (66.6%) in pharmaceutical inventory management. Management of the health facilities should have to follow and support the pharmaceuticals sections, through motivating and upgrading the staff skill and also through assigning the right persons for the pharmaceuticals activities in order to improve the facilities inventory management performances.