Medical equipment inventory management practices in public health facilities at Homabay County, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Medical equipment performs a critical function in the daily running of health care. The management of these assets is key in ensuring quality healthcare since they aid in diagnosis and treatment of diseases Despite the important role the inventory plays, most hospitals ironically do not document and keep an inventory of their equipment

Objective: To evaluate the medical equipment inventory management practices in public health facilities in Homabay county.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design was adopted that targeted seventeen level four and one level five public hospitals in Homabay County. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from healthcare workers who managed medical equipment inventory in the selected health facilities. The collected data was keyed into a Microsoft Excel sheet and exported to STATA analysis. Ethical approval to conduct the study was given by KNH-UON-ERC. The county government of Homabay authorized accessibility to health facilities.

Results: Medical equipment inventory management practices in Homabay County revealed that 97.56% of respondents keep inventory records for medical equipment, with 100% of record keeping being decentralized and manual. Majority (93.9%) of the participants conducted physical stock of which only 51.2% records were up to date. The expected replacement period for equipment was 100% undetermined in hospitals. Only 12.2% of the facilities had policies and guidelines on equipment management.

Conclusion: The management of medical equipment is sub optimal. The procurement, maintenance and disposal policies were inadequate in public health facilities.