Managing disrupted supply chains in Swedish hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic
Journal article, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and caused widespread shortages of healthcare supplies. This mixed-methods study examined the management of supply shortages in Swedish hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The key findings are that the shortage of supplies was initially severe owing to low regional and national contingency inventory levels, a lack of knowledge of supply chain management, and cost-saving measures. The perceived consequences of the shortage of personal protective equipment persisted in emergency and inpatient departments, in the later waves. Although pharmaceutical shortages later decreased, hospital managers were disappointed that they persisted. This study also highlights the effectiveness of consensus-based hourly supply agreements between service organisations and unit managers, which makes the prioritisation of the limited supply more dynamic. Despite these challenges, hospitals were able to adapt to the supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic; however, the results emphasise the importance of preparedness for future pandemics.

supplies

COVID-19

Supply chain disruption

healthcare

inventory

Author

Ritva Rosenbäck

University West

Björn Lantz

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Innovation and R&D Management

University West

Peter Rosén

University of Gothenburg

Health Systems

20476965 (ISSN) 20476973 (eISSN)

Vol. In Press

Subject Categories

Business Administration

Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

DOI

10.1080/20476965.2024.2349816

More information

Latest update

5/24/2024