Understand medical stock controls
Medical stock is a patient-safety and financial-control process. A stock balance is useful only when the organisation can identify what the item is, where it is, whether it is saleable or usable, its batch or serial identity where required, its expiry status, and the approved route by which it moved.
Approved catalogue and supplier → Purchase and receipt → Inspection and release or quarantine → Controlled storage → Replenishment, transfer, dispense, or consumption → Return, count, recall, or disposal
Explain these core safeguards:
- use the correct medical product and unit of measure;
- preserve lot, serial, expiry, and ownership information where required;
- prevent stock in quarantine, expired stock, damaged stock, and recalled stock from being issued;
- use only approved locations and transfers;
- retain a reason and authorised evidence for adjustments, returns, and disposal;
- separate the stock record from clinical authorisation: a stock item may be available but not clinically authorised for a patient.