Introduction: Recent events have demonstrated that disruptions in the healthcare supply chain led to shortages of essential medical equipment necessary for proper patient care, creating medical and social crises, and abnormally increasing the demand for medical services. Therefore, the present study aims to identify and rank the enablers of healthcare supply chain resilience with a focus on public hospitals. A literature review indicates that no research has yet specifically analyzed the enablers of supply chain resilience in public hospitals.
Methods: This applied research is descriptive in nature and cross-sectional in terms of timing, conducted using a survey approach. The statistical population of this study consisted of experts specializing in the management of public hospitals in Isfahan City, with 20 individuals selected as the sample using a judgment sampling method. Based on a systematic literature review, the enablers of healthcare supply chain resilience were identified and then localized according to the case study. The decision tree of enablers was outlined in the form of four main factors: supply chain elasticity capabilities, operational features of the supply chain, reporting capabilities, and cognitive capabilities, along with 11 sub-enablers. Pairwise comparison questionnaires were used for data collection. The inconsistency rate of the collected questionnaires was less than 0.1, indicating their validity. For analyzing the collected data using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, Expert Choice software was used. Additionally, the MICMAC approach was employed to analyze the interrelationships between variables.
Findings: The results showed that supply chain elasticity capabilities, reporting capabilities, cognitive capabilities, and operational features of the supply chain, respectively, impact healthcare supply chain resilience. Furthermore, agility, information technology capabilities, and supply chain risk management were identified as the most important sub-enablers. The enablers were categorized into four groups: independent, autonomous, dependent, and linkage. Agility, flexibility, and speed were placed in the linkage group, indicating that these enablers are highly influential and significantly influenced by other factors.
Conclusion: To enhance the resilience of the healthcare supply chain, particularly with a focus on public hospitals, relevant managers should seriously commit to strengthening the supply chain's elasticity capabilities, emphasizing agility, and improving reporting capabilities with a focus on information technology. Additionally, they should incorporate long-term and sustainable strategies to increase flexibility and speed into their plans.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2024/08/11 | Accepted: 2024/10/13 | ePublished: 2025/03/30