Abstract:
High expirations and stock outs of key medications have resulted from ineffective
management of these medications, depriving patients of their entitlement to health care.
Thus, this study investigated the effect of logistics information technology on availability of
essential medicines in the Kikuube and Hoima districts in Mid-western Uganda2yrs before and
after 2019 when the system was implemented. Three goals served as the study's direction.; it
examined the effect of logistic information technology (LIT) on expiries, stock out rates, and
the perceptions of the effect of Logistic Information system on expiration and stock out of
essential medications.
Methods
The study employed across-sectional descriptive study design that used mixed approach to
collect both quantitative and qualitative logistics data at the same time. The study considered a
study population of 128 respondents from the selected health facilities in the study region and
124 respondents were interviewed. The data gathering an interview guide, a questionnaire, and
a document review were the instruments employed in this study of stock cards and the DHIS2
electronic data base to gather both quantitative and qualitative data.
Additionally, the qualitative data was gathered through observation and analysis of inventory
data used in the two years prior to and following the introduction of the logistic technologies
in management of essential medicines.
Results
After implementation in 2020 and 2021, results showed that LIT had a beneficial effect on
reducing the expirations and stock outs of essential medicines (Mean =3.58 and SD=0.65).
This was a significant improvement over the results from 2017 and 2018, where the mean
was lower two years earlier (Mean=2.04 and SD 0.43). The average T-score had a P-value
of (0.0011) and was 5.948 on average.
While as for stock out rates mean before was 2.08± SD=1.286 against (M = 3.542± SD= 1.53)
and t-score of 9.478 and a P-value=0. 002.Finally, as regards perception, the average mean for
the stock out rates of essential medicines in Kikuube and Hoima district following the
implementation of Logistic systems was 3.542, and 2.082 before.
Conclusion
It was concluded that there was a strong relationship and positive effect of the logistic
information technology on accessibility to necessary medications.
And The study suggested adequate infrastructure in the health facilities as enabler for effective
LIT functionality, it is also necessary to adopt long-term policies for continued additional
financing by the government.
