Analysis of Shared Services Center Deployment at a University Hospital (CENTROMED) in Natal, Brazil: A Study on Availability and Capacity

Purpose

The hospital is an organization that has its own characteristics that differentiate it from other institutions. It is characterized as a company providing services of social purpose, with a great operational complexity, due to the diversity of services provided. These organizations are dependent on technology to play the role of assisting society. Technology is onerous: it is up to the aforementioned institutions to adopt management tools to control these costs. The present study explains the process of implementing a shared service centre (CENTROMED) for the management of hospital medical equipment (HME) at the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (HUOL) in the city of Natal, RN.

Patients and Methods

In order to achieve a successful implementation, four key steps were taken: process modelling; determination of key performance indicators, organization of physical arrangement; and adequate training and development of human resources. The work followed an action research approach focusing on three main methodological steps: identification of HUOL clinical engineering team’s demands, definition of the process for providing the equipment service, and definition of the supply items that will be managed.

Results

The preliminary results of this research indicate that the centralization of the management of the HME contributed to the optimization of the processes, the reduction of the costs and the availability of the equipment, thus providing a powerful management tool to support the hospital operational management.

Conclusion

The utilization of the shared service center for the management of hospital medical equipment is ultimately linked to the patient’s well-being as it contributes to the agility in hospital procedures and provides support in maintaining the capacity of attendance of the assistance teams.

A INDÚSTRIA FARMACÊUTICA E A IMPORTÂNCIA ESTRATÉGICA DOS PROPAGANDISTAS DE MEDICAMENTOS: ESTUDO COM COLABORADORES EM NATAL/RN

A indústria Farmacêutica é um mercado competitivo, complexo e de investimentos vultosos em pesquisa, desenvolvimento e produção de produtos farmacêuticos. Uma das principais estratégias da Indústria farmacêutica é a promoção de seus produtos junto à classe médica, através dos propagandistas de medicamentos, profissionais essenciais ao sucesso desta estratégia. O estudo objetivou comprovar a importância estratégica dos propagandistas de medicamentos e as competências necessárias para o bom desempenho desta profissão, de forma a garantir maior vantagem competitiva, e o sucesso destas organizações. Foram realizadas entrevistas individuais e semi-estruturadas e uma reunião de brainstorming, resultando na identificação de 46 competências, entre conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes, que os propagandistas atribuíram maior importância, sendo assim consideradas mais relevantes e essenciais para o desempenho das atividades dos propagandistas farmacêuticos sob suas perspectivas. Palavras chaves: Competências. Indústria farmacêutica. Marketing Farmacêutico. Propagandistas vendedores de medicamentos.