Research Questions: Research Question I: How does the material management process of medicine differ between a ward with, and without, an Automated Ward Solution (AWS)? Research Question II: How do time and costs differ in the material management process of medicine between a ward with, and without, an AWS? Research Question III: How has the instalment of a central storage affected the number of orders placed for wards? Purpose: The purpose is to map and compare the material management process of medicine between a ward with, and without, an AWS. Further the mapped processes will be timed, allocated costs by applying TDABC and then compared. The purpose is as well to describe how the instalment of a central storage has affected the frequency of orders placed for wards. Methodology: This project is a qualitative case study as the authors wished to understand the phenomena of having installed AWSs for medicine in a real context. The primary data was collected through interviews, observations and studying of documents; the secondary data was collected through scientific articles and literatures. The collected data answered the research questions with the help of process mapping and TDABC. Conclusion: In the created process maps it is found that the extensiveness of the different processes when compared are similar for both wards; however the allocated costs calculated through TDABC sometimes differ due to the involvement of the Pharmaceutical Unit as it carries a higher capacity cost per minute. Ward 5 can be assumed to have a higher security and accuracy due to the instalment of an AWS and by having laid more responsibility on the Pharmaceutical Unit. The AWS has however led to a larger waste for Ward 5 as it cannot return regular medicine anymore. This project could not directly connect the instalment of a central storage with reduced order lines; however it can be assumed that it has contributed to the decreased order lines placed.

Bakgrund: I sjukhusets unika miljö kan vikten av effektiva flöden ha avgörande betydelse för liv eller död. Förutsättningarna för logistiken i ett sjukhus är föränderlig och för att hänga med i olika förbättringstekniker måste sjukhusen utvecklas. Lösningen kan vara lean i sjukvård, men forskningen inom området är begränsad, vilket ger upphov till fortsatta studier inom ämnet.   Syfte: Studien syftar till att ge utökad kunskap om lean genom att ta reda på utmaningar för samordning av två varuförsörjningsflöden samt identifiera faktorer för effektiv varuförsörjning inom sjukvården. Metod: För att besvara syftet och forskningsfrågorna har en abduktiv ansats använts, där litteraturen inhämtats parallellt med empirisk data från en fallstudie på Gävle sjukhus. Teori från litteraturen och resultatet från fallstudien har analyserats, diskuterats och utifrån analysen har en slutsats utarbetats. Resultat: Studiens resultat är en värdeflödesanalys av processen för den interna varuförsörjningen av förbrukningsartiklar på Gävle sjukhus. Genom kartläggningen åskådliggörs slöserier som de separata flödena ger upphov till.     Begränsningar: Området för lean och logistik i sjukvård är delvis outforskat och området är i behov av utvecklad kunskap. Då sjukhusets avdelningar tycks ha olika hantering för den interna varuförsörjningen hade ett utökat antal inkluderade informanter varit gynnsamt för studien. Implikationer: Studien utökar kunskapen för ämnet genom att identifiera utmaningar med arbetskulturen samt svårigheter i att standardisera processer och eliminera slöserier. Studien identifierar därtill informationsflöde, systemstöd och värdeflödesanalys som betydelsefulla faktorer för effektiv varuförsörjning på ett sjukhus. Dessutom definieras ett uttryck för logistiken i sjukhus – sjukhuslogistik. / Background: In the unique environment of a hospital the importance of efficient logistics can be a matter of life and death. The conditions for the logistics in a hospital are constantly changing and to keep up with progress being made in different techniques of improvement hospitals must evolve. The answer could be lean healthcare but the research in this area is limited and thus more studies are required. Purpose: This study aims to broaden the knowledge about lean healthcare, through exploring the challenges involved with coordination of supply flows and also by identifying success factors of efficient supply flows. Method: To answer the purpose and the research questions the study utilizes an abductive approach where the literature has been acquired in parallel with the empirical data from a case study made on Gävle hospital. Both theoretical and empirical data has then been analyzed and through this analysis a conclusion has been formed. Findings: The study is made by a value stream mapping of the internal supply chain of consumable goods at Gävle hospital. Through the mapping numerous areas of waste can be identified, which is the result of having separate supply chains. Limitations: More research in the area of using lean and logistics in combination with healthcare are still needed. Since management of the internal supply chain varies at the different hospital departments an increased number of informants would have been favorable for the study. Implications: This paper explores the topic by identifying challenges within the work culture, difficulties with standardization of processes and eliminating waste. The study also identifies flow of information, system support and value stream mapping as success factors for an efficient internal supply chain within a hospital. Because there is a lack of vocabulary for describing the area of healthcare logistics in the Swedish Language, a definition for this is also contributed in the study.