Section outline

  • Introduction

    Tailored specifically for the global health industry, this supply chain management course addresses the distinct demands of the field. It is designed to accommodate the diverse roles undertaken by health workers across various levels of the health supply chain. Health workers will be taken through crucial topics such as customer-centric service, Logistics Management Information Systems, Storage and distribution, and inventory management. These topics are presented in a manner that is directly relevant to the responsibilities of the participants within the health system. The course ensures that learners acquire the necessary knowledge to comprehend the nature and context of their supply chain roles, empowering them to effectively fulfill their responsibilities at their respective levels.

    Purpose 

    The goal of this course is to address the specific demands of the public health supply chains, with content tailored to accommodate the health supply chain roles of health care workers at the facility level.

    Expected Learning Outcomes

    1. Explain the fundamental principles underlying a health logistics system and its role in ensuring the quality and safety of health products during the supply chain process.

    2. Assess and articulate the significance of visual inspections in maintaining the integrity and safety of health products during the dispensing phase, identifying potential signs of damage, tampering, or expiration.

    3. Demonstrate knowledge of proper storage techniques for health commodities at home and in health facilities to uphold their efficacy, and describe appropriate disposal methods for medicines or health products to prevent misuse and environmental hazards.

    4. Apply inventory management concepts such as max-min principles to determine quantities for ordering health commodities and conduct stock status assessments, identify appropriate actions to minimize and manage wastage, and maintain consistent stock levels.

    5. Illustrate the procedures involved in receiving health commodities, and arranging them in a store by following proper storage guidelines and handling techniques. Understand the significance of conducting physical counts, cycle counting, or comprehensive inventory checks and describe the process of issuing health commodities to various sections within a facility, to community health workers, for outreach, or redistribution purposes.

    6. Demonstrate ability to fill and use Logistics Management Information System  (LMIS) tools related to the collection, reporting, and management of health commodities both manually and electronically.

    7. Articulate the significance of capturing and utilizing data for supply chain decision-making, encompassing data collection, data management, data analytics, and data interpretation. Additionally, they will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to measure the performance of health supply chains at health facilities.


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    • This module focuses on ensuring health workers understand the benefits of ensuring products are always in stock and the risks associated with stockouts and actively monitoring the quality of medicines throughout the dispensing process, ensuring that clients receive products of the highest standard. It aims to empower clients with essential guidance on proper storage practices for medications at home, thereby preserving their efficacy and safety. Additionally, this module emphasizes educating patients on the appropriate management of leftover or unused medicines to prevent misuse and promote responsible disposal. In situations where specific products might be unavailable, the module aims to maintain consistent stock levels or offer suitable alternatives to fulfill the client's needs effectively. It prioritizes quality counseling, providing comprehensive guidance to clients on basic medication usage and the importance of completing prescribed doses for optimal health outcomes.

      Purpose

      This module is purposefully designed to cultivate essential competencies in:

      1. Articulate the importance of serving clients effectively by ensuring continuous stock availability and minimizing stockouts to gain trust, save lives, and maximize health outcomes (six rights)

      2. Recognizing the linkage between effective supply chain management and the direct impact on service quality provided to clients.

      3. Responsible for handling and management of medications used and leftover medications, encompassing knowledge of proper usage, storage, and disposal methods to prevent misuse.

      4. Executing best practices in dispensing, integrating supply chain efficiency with service quality for enhanced client experiences.

      5. Guidance and counseling to clients on appropriate medication usage, dosages, and adherence for improved health outcomes.

      6. Client interaction skills, such as empathy, enable health workers to establish rapport and effective communication while addressing client needs.

      Expected Learning Outcomes

      By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

      1. Appreciate the importance of continuous stock availability and minimizing stockouts in health supply chain management, directly impacting client trust, life-saving efforts, and health outcomes.

      2. Recognize the critical link between efficient supply chain management and the quality of services provided to clients, 

      3. Articulate the essential components and operational functions of the health logistics system.

      4. Highlight the role of visual inspection in ensuring the integrity and safety of health commodities throughout the dispensing process.

      5. Perform visual inspections of health commodities, proficiently identifying indications of damage, tampering, or expiration.

      6. Describe essential storage techniques crucial for preserving the effectiveness of health commodities at home, ensuring their efficacy and safety.

      7. Detail the appropriate protocols for the safe and responsible disposal of medications and health products at home, mitigating risks associated with misuse and environmental harm.

      8. Implement effective strategies to maintain consistent stock availability, catering to clients' requirements, or offering viable alternatives in situations where specific products are unavailable or scarce.

      The content of this module will focus on Basic Logistics: Introduction to Health Logistics Principles: Understanding the foundational concepts and fundamental elements of supply chain management, including recording and reporting, inventory control, storage and distribution strategies, and performance monitoring and management within health systems; Visual Inspection of Health Products during Dispensing:  Highlighting the significance of visual inspection in ensuring the quality and safety of health products during the dispensing process. Training on practical methods and techniques for conducting thorough visual inspections. Storage of Health Commodities in Homes: Providing guidelines and best practices and practical tips for the safe and effective storage of health commodities within domestic settings, emphasizing temperature control, humidity, and proper storage containers to maintain efficacy and family safety; Safe Practices for Home Disposal of Medicines: Educating on safe and environmentally friendly practices for disposing of medicines and health products at home, emphasizing the avoidance of environmental contamination and minimizing risks of misuse. Respectful Pharmacy Practices Linking Supply Chain and Customer Service: Exploring the correlation between efficient supply chain practices and customer-centric service delivery in health facilities and pharmacies. Fostering respectful and quality interactions that meet clients' needs while ensuring optimal supply chain management.

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    • Course Summary

      Congratulations! You have come to the end of this training! You are now in a position to appreciate the importance of continuous stock availability and minimizing stockouts in health supply chain management, directly impacting client trust, life-saving efforts, and health outcomes. You can recognize the critical link between efficient supply chain management and the quality of services provided to clients, and articulate the essential components and operational functions of the health logistics system.

      You can now highlight the role of visual inspection in ensuring the integrity and safety of health commodities throughout the dispensing process, as well as perform visual inspections of health commodities, proficiently identifying indications of damage, tampering, or expiration.

      You can now describe essential storage techniques crucial for preserving the effectiveness of health commodities at home, ensuring their efficacy and safety, and also detail the appropriate protocols for the safe and responsible disposal of medications and health products at home, mitigating risks associated with misuse and environmental harm, and implement effective strategies to maintain consistent stock availability, catering to the clients' requirements, or offering viable alternatives in situations where specific products are unavailable or scarce.


    • This module is designed to help you describe the logistics management information system, explain the different components of the logistics management information system and the function of LMIS in the logistics cycle. You will also appreciate the importance of LMIS in decision-making, the importance of updating tools, the use of reporting tools, and explain why LMIS is referred to as the engine of the logistics system. Learners will also be provided with practical exercises on filling the various LMIS tools to practice filling the tools ensuring quality of data.

      Purpose

      The purpose of this module is to explain the purpose of an LMIS as a key system of physical- and technology-based records and reports that supply chain workers and managers use to collect, organize, present, and use logistics data gathered across all levels of the system. An effective LMIS depends on the right combination of people, processes, and technology. Skilled people must record, analyze, manage, and use supply chain data at every level. The LMIS must enable efficient business processes and workflow forecasting, inventory management, distribution planning, reporting and ordering, order fulfillment, temperature monitoring, equipment maintenance, performance monitoring, etc.—and incorporate routine data management processes. The LMIS must leverage appropriate technology that is, feasible to deploy and sustain and is embraced by users at each level. 

      Expected Learning Outcomes

      By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

      1. Describe the purpose of the health logistics management information system.

      2. List essential data for logistics management and the  3  types of logistics records used for collection of that data.

      3. Identify data items that are specifically required to manage health commodities.

      4. Identify efforts to provide data visibility throughout the supply chain.

      5. Describe the relative responsibilities between supply chain staff and health service staff in the management and coordination of data for health product management.


    • This module is specifically tailored to assist health workers in developing proficient inventory management skills essential for ensuring adequate and appropriate stock levels. It focuses on elucidating the fundamental principles and strategies vital for effective inventory control within health settings.

      Purpose

      This module is designed to equip health workers with comprehensive skills and knowledge essential for proficient inventory management practices including ordering and receiving commodities within health settings building their competencies in: 

      1. Ordering essential health commodities.

      2. Receiving  Health Commodities.

      3. Storing Health Commodities.

      4. Issuing Health Commodities.

      5. Dispensing Health Commodities.

      6. Conducting routine physical stock counts of inventory on hand, emphasizing documentation to maintain accurate inventory records.

      7.  Assessing and monitoring stock levels effectively, ensuring the maintenance of adequate inventory at all times to meet health demands.

      8. Effective redistribution of overstocked or near-expiry health commodities to other health facilities, optimizing resource utilization.

      9. Implementing inventory management rules and protocols, ensuring adherence to established guidelines for efficient inventory control.

      Expected Learning Outcomes

      By the end of this module, the health worker will be able to: 

      1. Apply/implement the principles of max-min inventory management specifically tailored to ordering health commodities, ensuring efficient stock replenishment.

      2. Quantify the commodity needs of a Health facility using the consumption method.

      3. Describe the appropriate procedures and records used in receiving Health Commodities.

      4. Describe the appropriate procedures and records to store Health commodities.

      5. Describe the appropriate procedures,forms and records to issue Health commodities.

      6. Describe the appropriate procedures and records to dispense Health Commodities.

      7. Explain the fundamental concept of max-min inventory management, outlining its principles and significance in maintaining optimal stock levels.

      8. Perform comprehensive stock status assessments, proficiently analyzing inventory levels and identifying appropriate actions to rectify shortages or surpluses.

      9. Describe the step-by-step process involved in conducting physical inventory counts, including cycle counting methodologies to maintain accurate inventory records.


    • Congratulations! You have now come to the end of Module 3: Inventory Management. In this module, you looked at the comprehensive skills and knowledge essential for proficient inventory management practices including ordering and receiving commodities within health settings building your competencies in: 

      1. Ordering essential health commodities.

      2. Receiving  Health Commodities.

      3. Storing Health Commodities.

      4. Issuing Health Commodities.

      5. Dispensing Health Commodities.

      6. Conducting routine physical stock counts of inventory on hand, emphasizing documentation to maintain accurate inventory records.

      7.  Assessing and monitoring stock levels effectively, ensuring the maintenance of adequate inventory at all times to meet health demands.

      8. Effective redistribution of overstocked or near-expiry health commodities to other health facilities, optimizing resource utilization.

      9. Implementing inventory management rules and protocols, ensuring adherence to established guidelines for efficient inventory control.


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