Material Management: A Conceptual outlook

Materials are the major cost factor in an organization. It requires progressive follow up to keep the organization running without any interruption. This can be achieved only through effective material management. The nurses play an important role in the procurement of the materials, especially in the patient care sector. The current paper helps the readers to understand the concept of materials, aims, objectives, and principles of material management. The author discusses the scope of materials at four levels such as planning, purchasing, supplying and utilization of materials. The objectives of the material management can be classified into two categories; primary and secondary objectives. The author concludes the paper with the discussion of the procedure of a material management system and the advantages of the material specification.