How to Improve Hospital Flows in the Context of the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

In healthcare systems, the adoption of logistics 4.0 main technologies in the processes flows is essential to avoid unnecessary movements and manual work performed by people who could be performing tasks that require logical reasoning. In the context of the COVID pandemic, the adoption of new technologies to replace people in manual processes had become even more usual. This paper aims to demonstrate through simulation, the opportunities of improvement with lean manufacturing concepts and industry 4.0 technologies the hospital flows. After describing the problem and the need of improvements in hospital logistics, a literature review with concepts of Industry 4.0, Lean Manufacturing, and Logistics 4.0 will be presented. The hybrid approach used in the development of a decision aid tool that combines real data and methods of machine learning and problem-solving will be then, an example will be given for illustrating the concepts and methods elaborated.

Exploring the Digital Healthcare Product’s Logistics and Mental Healthcare in the Metaverse: Role of Technology Anxiety and Metaverse Bandwidth Fluctuations

“…Although a big percentage of a hospital's operational budget is allocated to paying staff, nurses, and doctors, expenditures associated with inventory, logistics, and administrative procedures are still substantial. According to studies, hospitals spend between 30 and 40 percent of their budgets on various logistical tasks, with the remaining 50 percent going toward managing the supplies and services once they have been purchased (Dossou, Foreste, & Misumi, 2022). To lower the high cost of healthcare today, healthcare providers are working to optimize their supply chain and logistics (Reuter-Oppermann & Kühl, 2021).…”