Medical Supplies in Hospital Pharmacy: Management, Classification, and Control in Clinical Settings

The hospital pharmacy is a specialized clinical service with technical responsibility over the procurement, storage, preparation, and dispensing of medications and medical devices. Its scope extends from individualized unit-dose dispensing to the compounding of sterile formulations, the preparation of intravenous admixtures, the centralized management of cytostatic drugs, and active participation in multidisciplinary parenteral and enteral nutrition teams. In all these processes, medical supplies are a direct component of the therapeutic act itself. This is why the management of medical supplies in hospital pharmacy goes beyond inventory control; it is, fundamentally, a clinical responsibility.

Medical Supply Classification in Hospital Pharmacy: Types and Technical Criteria

In hospital pharmacy practice, the most operationally useful classification of medical supplies is one that groups products by clinical function, aligned with the core areas that structure the service: pharmaceutical compounding, parenteral nutrition, cytostatics, and dispensing. The main categories are:

• Clinical nutrition: bags and administration sets for parenteral and enteral nutrition, connection systems, filters, and filling systems. Management requires specific criteria for chemical compatibility and product stability.
  
  
• Preparation and transfer: syringes, drawing-up needles, connectors, closed transfer systems, and preparation filters, particularly relevant in the compounding of intravenous admixtures and cytostatic preparations.
  
  
• Protection and barrier: surgical gloves and masks, Type IIR surgical masks, and FFP2 respirators are a priority area in supply continuity planning.

Knowing precisely which products fall under each category and what technical requirements apply to them is the first step toward effective and safe supply management.

Medical Supply Management in Hospital Pharmacy: Control, Storage, and Traceability

Day-to-day medical supply management revolves around four key functions:

• Stock control and turnover: ABC-VED analysis is the most widely used inventory management technique in hospital pharmacy. It combines economic value classification (A, B, C) with clinical criticality (vital, essential, desirable), allowing the most stringent controls to be focused on items that are both costly and indispensable. Inventory control today relies on pharmacy information systems (PIS), which have evolved from the manual stock records traditionally known as kardex into integrated platforms that enable real-time inventory management and anticipate replenishment needs by clinical unit.
  
  
• Storage: disposable medical supplies require specific conditions of temperature, humidity, and light protection depending on the product. Proper cleaning and organization of storage areas are part of the service’s quality procedures.
  
  
• Traceability: EU Regulation 2017/745 establishes the Unique Device Identification (UDI) system, assigned by the manufacturer and incorporated into the product label, providing lot and expiration date information. This enables each product to be identified and tracked throughout the entire distribution chain, facilitating its monitoring through to the destination clinical unit.
  
  
• Alert and recall management: Royal Decree 192/2023 assigns post-market surveillance and safety alert management to the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS). The pharmacy service acts as the central receiver and coordinator of these alerts, managing substitute product requests when a lot is withdrawn from use.

Medical Supply Selection and Evaluation: The Role of the Hospital Pharmacist

The Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) and the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) have established standardized procedures for the inclusion and substitution of medical devices, combining available evidence evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and acceptance testing with end users. Within the hospital setting, these decisions are channeled through the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, where the pharmacist plays an active role in determining which products are incorporated into the institution’s formulary.

Selection criteria for disposable medical supplies typically include:

• CE marking and manufacturer certifications audited by recognized bodies, such as ISO 13485:2016.
  
  
• Technical compatibility with the facility’s systems, including infusion pumps and connections.
  
  
• Material stability in contact with the solutions it will contain or conduct, particularly in parenteral and enteral nutrition.
  
  
• For puncture devices, the quality and reliability of the safety mechanism are differentiating factors among products with equivalent CE marking.
  
  
• Manufacturer track record: established presence in the national market, auditable certifications, and logistical capacity to ensure supply continuity.
  
  
• Value for money assessed over the complete product lifecycle.

Regulations and Standards Applied to Medical Supplies in Hospital Settings

The regulatory framework governing medical supplies in hospital pharmacy is built around two main instruments:

• EU Regulation 2017/745 establishes the European framework: CE marking, risk-based classification, UDI traceability, and post-market surveillance for single-use products.
  
  
• Royal Decree 192/2023 develops this framework in Spain, regulating the reprocessing of single-use devices and in-house hospital manufacturing for internal use.
  

Beyond public procurement requirements, Royal Decree 192/2023 requires hospitals to formally designate a medical device vigilance officer, explicitly identifying the head of the pharmacy service as one of the suitable profiles for this role. This officer oversees the reporting of serious incidents to AEMPS’s NotificaPS portal, coordinates corrective actions, and ensures the internal dissemination of safety alerts.

At Bexen Medical, we have 48 years of experience manufacturing high-quality disposable medical supplies, supplying 98% of hospitals across Spain. Our product range covers the core needs of hospital pharmacy services, including parenteral and enteral nutrition products (filling systems, EVA bags, light-protective bags), dropper bottles, safety needles and syringes, and intravenous filters. All our products carry CE marking and are manufactured under ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, and ISO 14001:2015 standards.

Contact our team and let us help you find the right solution for your pharmacy service.

References

Gaspar Carreño M, Márquez Peiró JF. Productos sanitarios: Concepto, características y clasificación. En: Curso de Productos Sanitarios [Internet]. SEFH-FORMASEFH; [cited 2026 May 8]. Available from: http://formasefh.sefh.es/tecnifarmh/curso-productos-sanitarios/curso-productos-sanitarios.pdf

Grupo Productos Sanitarios del Comité Técnico de Inspección. Información sobre el sistema de vigilancia de productos sanitarios y sobre las funciones del responsable de vigilancia de los centros sanitarios [Internet]. Madrid: AEMPS; 2026 [cited 2026 May 20]. Code: CTI/PS/170/01/26. Available from: https://www.aemps.gob.es/productos-sanitarios/vigilancia_productossanitarios/informacion-sobre-el-sistema-de-vigilancia-de-productos-sanitarios-y-sobre-las-funciones-del-responsable-de-vigilancia-de-los-centros-sanitarios/

Ministerio de Sanidad (España). Real Decreto 192/2023, de 21 de marzo, por el que se regulan los productos sanitarios [Internet]. BOE núm. 69, de 22 de marzo de 2023 [cited 2026 May 8]. Available from: https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2023-7416

Molero R, Acosta M. Planificación y organización de un Servicio de Farmacia. En: Farmacia Hospitalaria, Tomo I [Internet]. SEFH; [cited 2026 May 8]. Available from: https://www.sefh.es/bibliotecavirtual/fhtomo1/cap11.pdf

Parlamento Europeo y Consejo de la Unión Europea. Reglamento (UE) 2017/745, de 5 de abril de 2017, sobre los productos sanitarios [Internet]. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea; 2017 [cited 2026 May 8]. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ES/ALL/?uri=celex:32017R0745