2SPD-002 Development and impact of a dashboard for drug shortage prediction and management: a before and after study
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Background and Importance Drug shortages pose major challenges, requiring innovative approaches for effective management and mitigation. To our knowledge, no system proactively monitors and anticipates shortages to support hospital pharmacists in daily routine. Aim and Objectives This study aimed to develop and implement a dashboard to optimise drug shortage management and to evaluate its impact on logistical, financial, and time indicators. Material and Methods A dashboard was developed in-house by integrating logistical data (stock levels from the central pharmacy and over 90 automated dispensing cabinets) with clinical data (prescriptions). Two types of shortages were assessed: internal stock-outs (defined as zero stock in the pharmacy) and supplier stock-outs (drugs unavailable at the time of order). A prospective interventional study evaluated the dashboard’s impact by comparing data from a 3-month period without the tool (1 February to 30 April 2023) to a 3-month period with the tool in use (1 April to 30 June 2024). Results The dashboard implementation led to a 57% reduction in internal stock-outs (from 600 to 260), achieved by identifying drugs with less than 2 weeks of stock and insufficient supply for 72-hours prescriptions. Supplier stock-outs also decreased by 42% (from 177 to 102), while the time spent managing stock-outs fell by 24% (from 430h to 326h), leading to a 26% reduction in additional HR costs (from EUR 19,308 to EUR 14,265). Weekly working hours decreased by 32% (from 33h to 25h). Overall, the cost of stock-outs dropped by 60%, from EUR 395,115 to EUR 156,098. Despite these improvements, the root causes of supplier stock-outs remained largely unidentified in 2024 (89%, n=91/102), similarly to 2023 (87%, n=154/177). Additionally, stock-out complexity increased, with longer durations (from 37 to 49 days), a higher proportion of critical drug shortages (from 38% to 52%), and a slight decrease in the availability of alternatives (from 85% to 81%). Conclusion and Relevance Routinely implementing a dashboard significantly reduces internal stock-outs by 57% and associated costs by 60%, enhancing resilience in a complex supply chain environment. This highlights the potential of innovative technological solutions to anticipate and mitigate drug shortages in hospitals. References and/or Acknowledgements Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest
Authors: Y Dhif, C Stucki, P Bonnabry
Institutions: University of Geneva, University Hospital of Geneva
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4408375726