Gaming Simulations in Health Care Logistics

A special issue of Logistics (ISSN 2305-6290). This special issue belongs to the section "Humanitarian and Healthcare Logistics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 21836

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Health Care Logistics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
2. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: gaming; simulation; design of complex systems; transportation; health care

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: complex systems; urban planning; policy design and in the philosophy of games and simulations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientifically supported methods for coordination and quality improvement within health, care, and healthcare services are crucial to face current issues associated with an aging population, multimorbidity, lack of personnel, and the shift towards preventative health. This includes new forms of health systems and healthcare logistics approaches and methods that support process-based organization within departments as well as between clinics, and various public health and caregiving organizations. Against the backdrop of the complexity of the healthcare system, healthcare logistics is moving towards supporting improved and patient-centric care. This perspective moves away from optimizing flows, and away from the traditional perspective of the movement of physical goods towards considering and coordinating flows other than people through the healthcare system. With that perspective, this Special Issue solicits articles on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Systems approaches and design of healthcare logistical flows;
  • Simulation approaches to healthcare logistics: hybrid, integrated, participatory and/or data-driven approaches towards simulating logistical flows;
  • Case studies on the improvement of patient flows and caregiver workflows to achieve more patient-centered and efficient care;
  • Methods that support the development of co-creation and collaboration in public sector organizations.

Prof. Dr. Sebastiaan Meijer
Dr. Jayanth Raghothama
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Healthcare Systems Design
  • Complexity
  • Healthcare Logistics
  • Simulation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1532 KiB  
Article
Effective Demand Forecasting in Health Supply Chains: Emerging Trend, Enablers, and Blockers
by Lakshmy Subramanian
Logistics 2021, 5(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics5010012 - 28 Feb 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 16579
Abstract
Health supply chains aim to improve access to healthcare, and this can be attained only when health commodities appropriate to the health needs of the global population are developed, manufactured, and made available when and where needed. The weak links in the health [...] Read more.
Health supply chains aim to improve access to healthcare, and this can be attained only when health commodities appropriate to the health needs of the global population are developed, manufactured, and made available when and where needed. The weak links in the health supply chains are hindering the access of essential healthcare resulting in inefficient use of scarce resources and loss of lives. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and demand forecasting is one of the weakest links of health supply chains. Also, many of the existing bottlenecks in supply chains and health systems impede the accurate forecasting of demand, and without the ability to forecast demand with certainty, the stakeholders cannot plan and make commitments for the future. Forecasts are an important feeder for budgeting and logistics planning. Under this backdrop, the study examines how improved forecasting can lead to better short-term and long-term access to health commodities and outlines market-related risks. It explores further how incentives are misaligned creating an uneven distribution of risks, leading to the inability to match demand and supply. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was performed, analyzing 71 articles from a descriptive and content approach. Findings indicate the emerging trends in global health and the consequences of inaccurate demand forecasting for health supply chains. The content analysis identifies key factors that can pose a varying degree of risks for the health supply chain stakeholders. The study highlights how the key factors emerge as enablers and blockers, depending on the impact on the overall health supply chains. The study also provides recommendations for actions for reducing these risks. Consequently, limitations of this work are presented, and opportunities are identified for future lines of research. Finally, the conclusion confirms that by adopting a combination of approaches, stakeholders can ensure better information sharing, identify avenues of diversifying risks, and understand the implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gaming Simulations in Health Care Logistics)
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16 pages, 2382 KiB  
Article
Prioritized Solutions for Overcoming Barriers When Implementing Lean in the Healthcare Supply Chain: A Saudi Perspective
by Abdulaziz M. Almutairi, Mohammed Almanei, Ahmed Al-Ashaab and Konstantinos Salonitis
Logistics 2021, 5(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics5010009 - 3 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4496
Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to propose solutions for overcoming the obstacles that healthcare organizations might face when implementing lean. An in-depth review of existing barriers for lean implementation in healthcare supply chain is presented and validated by experts. Although there [...] Read more.
The main purpose of this paper is to propose solutions for overcoming the obstacles that healthcare organizations might face when implementing lean. An in-depth review of existing barriers for lean implementation in healthcare supply chain is presented and validated by experts. Although there is a widespread use of lean concepts in developed countries, little attention has been paid to implementing a lean approach by healthcare providers in developing countries. The present study’s key novelty and contribution is related to this research gap. The study is thus focused in proposing solutions for healthcare organisations in developing countries, especially in Saudi Arabia. The efficacy of these solutions is assessed through experts’ opinion. The paper enhances the body of knowledge for the successful implementation of lean in a hospital setting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gaming Simulations in Health Care Logistics)
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