Design and Optimization of Medication Storage and Replenishment Policies for Automated Dispensing Machines
Effective inventory management and optimized storage layouts are essential in hospital pharmacies to ensure timely and accurate medication dispensing, which directly impacts patient safety and quality of care. However, traditional storage methods often fail to meet the complex demands of modern healthcare settings, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and risks of error.
This project focuses on developing a systematic framework for integrating Automated Dispensing Machines (ADMs) into hospital pharmacy workflows, with the objective of enhancing medication storage, inventory management, and dispensing accuracy. The project will build on insights gathered through data collection, including observations and interviews with pharmacists and nurses at LAU Medical Center–Rizk Hospital. Collected data will inform the design of replenishment policies, clustering algorithms, and inventory management strategies tailored to the unique requirements of the hospital environment.
This project will involve the following tasks:
- Review the literature on inventory management, ADMs, warehouse optimization, and replenishment strategies.
- Conduct semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and nurses to document current processes and medication inventory management at the hospital.
- Design optimal replenishment policies that minimize medication shortage while accounting for demand variability, ADM capacity, and hospital-specific constraints.
- Develop optimal storage policy by grouping and partitioning medications in ADM drawers considering medication frequency of use, expiration dates, and safety requirements. The policy must accommodate a wide variety of medications differing in size, demand frequency, and storage requirements.
- Exploring the use of AI to forecast medication demand.
Project Details
- Student(s): Jane Eid, Sarah Chkair, Chloe Abi Sleiman, Joyce Chaaya
- Advisor(s): Dr. Pierrette Zouein
- Year: 2025-2026