Developing a framework to assess healthcare facilities’ essential medicine management practices
Date
2019-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Access to essential medicines is a fundamental human right; yet, millions of people die each year from diseases that could be treated with modern
medicines. A lack of access to essential medicines remains the most serious public healthcare problem globally, with approximately 30% of the world's
population not having access to essential medicines. This figure rises to over 50% in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. Frequent stock-outs and shortages of medicines continue to deny quality healthcare treatment to lowincome
populations.
Medicine management seeks to find an optimal way to ensure access to essential medicines given various constraints. The absence of adequate assessment tools and frameworks that measure medicine management performance at a facility level, makes it difficult for decision-makers to make informed decisions to improve access to essential medicines.
To address this need, a maturity model was developed to assess essential medicine management performance in public healthcare facilities. A maturity model is a framework that is used to describe the evolution of a system over
time through the assessment of its processes. Maturity models provide a wellstructured approach to achieving tangible transformation and continuous
improvement. The developed model intends to identify opportunities for improvement that extend access to essential medicines.
The maturity model in this study was developed using a three-phase approach that integrated essential medicine management dimensions into maturity model architecture. The model is based on extensive literature
reviews on essential medicines, medicine management, and maturity models. The review of literature on essential medicine at facility level helped to define the dimensions of the maturity model. Medicine management literature was also reviewed to identify the key practices that ensure access to essential medicine in healthcare facilities. Finally, maturity
model literature was reviewed to identify the appropriate maturity model
architecture which formed the basis of the maturity model developed.
The maturity model was re ned and validated by subject matter experts to
ensure that the theoretical basis of the model was sound. The validation
process found that the developed maturity model adequately measures the
performance of essential medicine management at a facility level.
The maturity model developed in this research study provides an
alternative assessment method to traditional quantitative performance
measurement methods in the healthcare sector and helps healthcare
facilities focus on the various practices that drive essential medicine
management performance to increase access to essential medicine.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Raadpleeg teks vir opsomming
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Raadpleeg teks vir opsomming
Description
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
Keywords
Industrial management, UCTD, Essential Medicines, Delivery of health care