Facing disruption: Learning from the healthcare supply chain responses in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The healthcare supply chain crisis surrounding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique and complex challenges in achieving the primary aim of supply chain management, that is, delivering the right amount of the right supplies to the right people at the right time. This article describes the key findings from a case study on PPE supply chain responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia (BC). It highlights a set of constructive response mechanisms to potential crises along healthcare supply chain. Effective and trusted leadership, a unity of purpose, integrated and robust digital infrastructure and capabilities, consistent learning, resilience building, and environmental sensing for reliable intelligence were found to be essential for preparing, for containing, and mitigating the crisis as it evolved across various phases of crisis management.

Identifying resilience strategies for disruption management in the healthcare supply chain during COVID-19 by digital innovations: A systematic literature review

“… 11 Kavyan Zoughalian (2022) [ 58 ] UK Investigating current block chain-based distribution system solution proposals Drug distribution Block chain The study states block chain technology's great potential in distribution networks, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, for monitoring agencies and combating fake medicine circulation to maintain a sustainable healthcare system. 12 Jie Zhang (2022) [ 125 ] Canada Describing the significant themes of COVID-19 supply chain response in British Columbia Personal Protective Equipment Data dashboard Effective and trusted leadership, unity of purpose, integrated and robust digital infrastructure and capabilities, resilience building, and environmental sensing are critical for planning for and mitigating the crisis. 13 Mario Tani (2022) [ 68 ] Italy Identifying the main opportunities and risks that additive manufacturing may pose to healthcare organizations Personal Protective Equipment 3D Printing The case demonstrates how AM can be used to elevate hospital flexibility and how, by leveraging the Internet, the benefits can be spread faster than the traditional SC processes.…”

Hospital Supply Chain Management: Cross-Disciplinarity Opportunities in the Post-Pandemic Era and Research Agenda

“…According to the research analysis, most articles address aspects related to the integration of the health SC (28%) since coordinating its internal and external links is challenging. Among these papers, the following topics can be identified: coordination mechanisms (Handfield et al, 2022;Zhang et al, 2022), collaboration strategies (Francis, 2020;Friday et al, 2021), group purchasing , 2022b, 2022a, integrating factors influencing chain performance (Betcheva et al, 2021;Lal et al, 2022;Nartey et al, 2022;, application of game theory (Bian et al, 2021), risk management across the different links , and activities such as government regulation, government support, and tax cuts (Lau et al, 2022).…”

“…The most significant flow of HSCM was the accessibility of vital medications in pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The pandemic has worsened the already strained PPE SC's and greatly boosted demand for protective goggles, medical masks, protective gowns, and gloves, resulting in shortages of several PPE (Falagara Sigala et al, 2022;Opfermann et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2022). Due to the complexity of the product, distribution, geography, responsiveness, and prioritization of supplies, the SC's for medicines and vaccines are difficult to manage.…”

The necessity of healthcare supply chain resilience for crisis preparedness

“…24 Throughout the pandemic, there was clear evidence of a lack of preparedness among Canadian provinces, particularly preparedness for managing severe shortages of critical products (e.g., PPE). [24][25][26][27][28] Most, if not all, of the provinces had little or no healthcare supply chain representation at leadership tables or on emergency response teams to provide supply chain expertise and insight into decisions on responses to the pandemic events. [24][25][26][27][28][29] Leadership teams were challenged by the lack of data or digital infrastructure necessary to quantify demand utilization rates of critical products and supply inventory volumes to meet demand.…”