Project Abstract

Abstract
Drug procurement and institution tracking systems play a crucial role in ensuring efficient and effective management of pharmaceutical supplies within healthcare institutions. This research project aims to develop a comprehensive system that integrates drug procurement processes with institution tracking to enhance transparency, accountability, and overall performance. The proposed system will utilize advanced technologies such as RFID tracking, barcode scanning, and real-time data analytics to streamline the procurement process from the initial request to final delivery. By automating various stages of procurement, including order placement, supplier selection, pricing negotiation, and inventory management, the system will help reduce human error, minimize delays, and improve resource allocation. Furthermore, the institution tracking component of the system will enable healthcare facilities to monitor drug utilization patterns, track inventory levels, and identify potential shortages or overstock situations. Through real-time reporting and alerts, institutions will be able to make data-driven decisions to optimize their drug supply chain and ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medications. The system will also incorporate features for financial monitoring, budget allocation, and expenditure tracking to facilitate cost-effective procurement practices and prevent misuse or mismanagement of pharmaceutical resources. By providing detailed reports and analytics on spending patterns, pricing trends, and supplier performance, the system will empower healthcare administrators to negotiate better deals, identify cost-saving opportunities, and comply with regulatory requirements. Moreover, the system will enhance communication and collaboration between different stakeholders involved in the drug procurement process, including pharmacists, physicians, administrators, and suppliers. By providing a centralized platform for information sharing, document storage, and communication tools, the system will facilitate seamless collaboration and improve overall coordination among team members. In conclusion, the development of a drug procurement and institution tracking system represents a significant step towards modernizing and optimizing pharmaceutical supply chain management in healthcare institutions. By leveraging technology, data analytics, and automation, the system will help streamline procurement processes, improve inventory management, enhance financial control, and promote collaboration among stakeholders. Ultimately, the implementation of such a system has the potential to drive operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes in healthcare settings.

Project Overview

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Computerization is defined as the control of processes by computers and its peripherals. Today it would be difficult to think of any process, business or action that could not have profited from the numerous benefits of the computer system. Controlling process or devices with computer started long ago since the invention of computer. In the 20th century inventors tried to make processes easier with the use of computers. Secondly computerization has been greatly applied or used in controlling process that requires frequent action such as drug procurement, drug management, drug tracking and drug distributions in hospital management information system in pharmacy departments of hospitals.This project which is drug procurement and distribution tracking system provides a computer based information management system in a Pharmacy Department of the University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu by designing a cost effective, user friendly application, incorporating key attributes of data integrity and system security suitable for use in the pharmacy department of the hospital using Microsoft Access software in developing the database and visual basic as the programming language. The overall aim of this project is to optimize time and material in the processing of data needed for effective operation of large pharmacy department of a hospital. By this approach, data integrity, data redundancy, and consistency will be ensured. Drugs are the chemical substances that are administered to patients for curative purposes and prophylaxis. It can also be known as a medicine, because it is the essential part of peoples care. The ability of the computer to store and retrieve information at a very fast and efficient rate makes its application useful in management operations. Drug management involves drug procurement, drug distribution, drug tracking and its information management. Drug distribution is concerned with distribution of drugs within the different medical units or departments in a hospital, while drug procurement is concerned with the purchasing activities of the drugs by the pharmacy department of the hospital. In the same vein, drug tracking is concern with the continuous monitoring of the actual quantity of drugs held in the hospital pharmacy or any other drug warehouse /store. It also controls the stock level.Pharmaceutical unit in a hospital is concerned with drug management activities. They carry out the responsibility of making appropriate selection and drugs used by formulating an annual, monthly, weekly or daily list of drugs requirement and management reports. However, in some hospitals today, some pharmacists still use the manual system of operation which can lead to inappropriate drug management errors due to problems of handling voluminous file within a short period of time. This could make data to be easily inaccessible and also delivery of drugs can lead to misplacement of patients’ files.