Last update:
29-Jul-2010

OBJECTIVE To examine the knowledge of hospital employees of the cost of the materials they use, to register the methods used, and to explore the opinions of the employees about the supply chain management adopted by the hospitals.

METHOD A survey was conducted in state hospitals in Attiki, from which 214 employees participated. Data were collected via a self-completed questionnaire and processed using logistic regression.

RESULTS Only 6.5% of the employees knew the cost of the materials that they use, and 82.2% stated that if they aware of the cost of the materials, they would certainly use them more wisely. The possibility of using materials more wisely was higher when the employee had worked in the hospital for many years. As far as the supply chain management procedures are concerned, 37.4% of the employees stated that they do not fill in forms about the materials they use. The possibility of filling in forms increases when the employee has worked in the hospital for many years, but decreases when the employee is a doctor. Concerning the opinions of the employees, 69.1% of the survey participants were dissatisfied with the supply chain procedure and 55.6% would prefer that each clinic or laboratory managed its supplies independently.

CONCLUSIONS There is a pressing need for the Greek hospitals to re-organize their supply chain management in order to reduce costs and offer a higher quality of health care.

Key words: Employees, Hospital, Management, Materials, Supplies.