Purchasing Procedure as an Integration Mechanism and Health Promotion Strategy for a Healthcare Institution

摘要

This paper analyses the purchasing procedure for the acquisition of furniture, equipment & tools, personal protection devices and work clothing. This is an example of a key integration mechanism of the work system structure of a healthcare institution, conceived also as a health promotion strategy. The construction of the purchasing procedure included the following steps: processes mapping, construction of a processes matrix, basic procedure definition, processes clustering, flow diagram construction and instruments design. The whole procedure is thought as a feedback process and has four stages: demand analysis, supply analysis, incorporation into the hospital system and element implementation tracking. This procedure requires a coordinated effort that involves many process leaders, and includes the direct users of the elements. It guarantees that, if it is properly followed, all persons that have a stake in the element to be acquired can say it, and at the right moment. This enables a more holistic approach, not just of the variables to be considered at the moment of purchasing an element, but also during the assimilation process, and even after it has been implemented.