Margarita S. Resuelo
BSMT – I
MT 14 LEC – CC

The importance of Material Management in a Clinical Laboratory and in the household

Finding foundation in having an organized plan and a structured system that monitors the purchase up to the distribution of supplies, Material Management certainly is a great tool that allows for the creation of a standardized and controlled flow of materials. Additionally, this method of organization is deemed effective and important in both the clinical laboratory and in any household for the following benefits:

📄 Monitoring and checking of available and lacking inventory.
> Material Management promotes organization and effective tracking of certain items that may need replacing, replenishing, and/or restocking. Providing a systematic method to keep account of a laboratory’s or household’s needed supplies, Material Management allows for the increased accessibility and availability of critical materials which consequently boosts efficiency in one’s workplace/ home, overall.

⌚Timely, systematic restocking regarding the identified demand.
> Due to how one can easily monitor their daily consumption and use of certain supplies, we can likewise utilize Material Management to predict how long these supplies will last from reference to previous usage. As any clinical laboratory needs a steady inventory of reagents, test kits, and other equipment, and how a household must have a constant supply of cooking oil and detergent bottles, Material Management becomes the backbone for timely replenishment before running out of stock and likewise creates an effective schedule to minimize delays and problems.

💵 Cost-sufficient purchasing.
> Due to its effectiveness in tracking inventory, Material Management sufficiently lowers cases of shortages and even overstocking which can overall save a laboratory or household money. As one of the core goals of Material Management, it garners one the ability to purchase the demanded goods by spending the lowest price possible without having to sacrifice the quality and value requirement of the items. Properly managing these systems will allow for one’s workplace or home to gain the right quality and quantity of supplies for the right, reasonable cost.

✅ Quality control and assurance for efficient routine operation.
> The quality of materials bought is crucial for any clinical laboratory such that meeting and complying with the specified requirements of demanded products for various procedures promotes patient safety and quality patient outcomes, overall. Likewise, even a household would want to buy the best goods for a better lifestyle and wellness. Material management can greatly aid in the procurement of quality goods to increase the accuracy of performed tests, boost the reliability of acquired results, can help one monitor expiry dates, build continuity of goods and consistency of value, etc. – all these help lower chances of contamination, generation of waste, and prevents the onset of errors.

There are surely many more ways and methods that Material Management can aid one in their workplace/ home. It is simply those abovementioned that allow us to peer into its generous benefits and possibilities for which we should think its integration in our realities worth considering for the improvement of our wellbeing, the betterment of patient care, and the overall boosting of morale and efficiency in all aspects of life.