Standard Time Study and Manpower Determination in the Outpatient Dispensing service at Srinagarind Hospital

Abstract

Background: Standard time study and manpower determination are the systematic processes in learning about individual’s working performance. This includes method study and stopwatch time study to heighten the effectiveness of management in human resources.

Objective: To  determine  the standard  time used to finish a job, and to use such data  in determining  the manpower for the outpatient dispensing pharmacy service at Srinagarind hospital.

Method: Stopwatch time study was used to directly measure standard time. This standard time study involved two main jobs: dispensing and prepacking.

Design: Descriptive study

Setting: Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

Result: The total standard time for dispensing one prescription, which contained three to four items of medicines, was 227.86 seconds or 3.80 minutes. The prescription filling accounted for the maximum period of time in dispensing, which was 38.31% of the total standard time. For prepacking, the tasks in machine turning off consumed the maximum period of time, which was 801.82 seconds or 13.36 minutes. The standard time of each job and the pharmacy service workload were used to estimate the manpower for the outpatient dispensing pharmacy service. The result indicated a need of 2.14 pharmacists, 2.13 pharmacy assistants, and 10.06 workers for the service.

Conclusion: The results from this study could serve as a basis for pharmacy managers in allocating the manpower appropriately for the workload responsible by the outpatient pharmacy service, as well as in increasing the work efficiency for achieving the organization goals.

Keywords: Standard time study, manpower determination