E-drug: Drug inventory control software (contd)
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Reading the messages on computerised inventory systems (since 22 Sept.),
I agree with the assession that "there is a need for a well functionning
inventory system". The computerised management of a drug and medical
supply store is and remains a problem, in spite of the multiple studies
and tools we developed and proposed since a long time now !
As a pharmacist involved since long in drug supply, management and
distribution problems, in multiple and different fields, I personnally
worked a lot on this matter. First, when dBase and clipper were the
tools of application development, in the same way others did it, on my
own program. Then, together with a more complex environment (national
level, etc.), on a drug-specific application with the help of a
computer-scientist. Then, again, after a market-survey that showed
there was no satisfactory tool available (including SWEDISH which already
existed), with a computer-scientists team, on a new specific tool that would
encounter the needs of more stores, these needs being considered as
basically the same. This gave the GEMEDIC system, Jorg Hetzke listed in his
message. GEMEDIC was developed with similar goals as a few other
drug-specific management tools (e.o. INVEC and REMED6).
In spite of the amount of research and development provided by different
teams, the drug-specific systems now available do not give satisfaction
to the stores and already are, for most of them, outdated on the
technical point of view (the "WINDOWS environment" is now generalised
and sends to "trash" all DOS-developed tools). This is, I presume, one
of the reasons of the study DAP is asking to EHG group in Copenhagen.
The question is now : Regarding the computer technical revolution, how
to manage this lack of well-functioning inventory system ? Should we
go ahead in developing complete drug-specific tools ? We made a new
little market survey, that shows us that most of the commercial
management tools now available for small and medium-size entreprises are
much more potent, user-friendly and flexible that they were, and have
the major advantage to propose a modular system covering all the major
functions of the entreprise-management : besides the basic inventory
functions are provided all commercial, financial and accounting
functions. Besides their public health mission, the medical stores are
enterprises their governments and the funders are asking to be
self-sustainable. So they first need professionnal management tools,
just as the entreprises they are !
To verify this assessment, and to be able to support in the best way the
needs of the several medical stores (at national level) we are working
with, we prepared complete specific requirement for drug-management and
found that the most widely distributed commercial softwares for small
and medium-size entreprises are OK with almost all specifications we
defined. We would recommend that the medical stores looking for a
computerised management system do not continue with specific, long
and costly developments, but look at the potent tools that the current
market can provide. Besides the potency, they also will find security
and safeness of use, provided by the experience and the wide number and
field of users.
Daniel Vandenbergh,
pharmacist,
AEDES
dvandenbergh@aedes.be
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