Anesthesiology departments manage a wide variety of drugs and consumables with complex specifications, and their informatized management has become an important direction for improving hospital operational safety and efficiency. This article systematically reviews the current status of informatized management of drugs and consumables in anesthesiology departments, focusing on the applications and limitations of intelligent drug cabinets, SPD (Supply, Processing, and Distribution) systems, and information system integration in the management of narcotic and psychotropic drugs and high-value consumables. At present, although informatization tools can improve work efficiency, reduce errors, and enhance full-process traceability, their overall deployment rate remains low, with marked differences across regions and institutions. Links such as batch number tracking, empty ampoule collection, residual drug solution disposal, and consumable billing and traceability still rely heavily on manual operations. The constraints are diverse and overlapping, mainly including imbalances in funding and talent allocation, information silos and insufficient system usability, information security risks, lagging organizational awareness and training, and the structural contradiction between policy updates and software development cycles. In response to these dilemmas, this article proposes a gradual strategy of “from the inside out and from light to heavy,” advocating low-cost self-development and modular platform integration, introducing agile development concepts, and building an institutional ecosystem that balances safety and efficiency while coordinating internal and external resources. This is intended to promote the transformation of drug and consumable management in anesthesiology departments from “passive recording” to “active governance,” and to provide a reference for related management practices.

Xu Yimai, Wu Wei, Gong Gu. Current Status, Dilemmas, and Innovative Pathways of Informatization Management of Pharmaceuticals and Consumables in the Department of Anesthesiology. Academic Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences (2026), Vol. 7, Issue 4: 87-93. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMHS.2026.070410.

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