From patients' needs to hospital pharmacy management: an holistic approach to the process modelling

Materials management is a great issue for healthcare systems because it influences performances of structures in terms of clinical and financial outcomes. Enhancements can be done by means of an appropriate management of data related to these materials coming from all processes in which they are involved. This paper presents an integrated and detailed description and model of the hospital materials management process, able to tackle information from patient requirements to materials usage, according to traceability and streamlined processes perspectives. The holistic approach adopted, based on hospital cases analysis, literature review and international guidelines, tends to look at all actors, materials and processes involved, with the attempt to provide academicals and practitioners with a useful guide to the various technology-related, management and business issues that can arise during the design or reengineering of this business process and the associated information system.