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Abstract [en]
Purpose
During the last years, attention for healthcare logistics and SCM has begun. This is a novel topic, with a lack of literature reviews on research related to this field. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide guidance in how to develop healthcare logistics and SCM research related to patient flows.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopted an exploratory literature review, focusing on patient flow issues, through a scanning of logistics and SCM journals. The identified articles references as well as the papers that had referred to the papers were also included in the review.
Findings
The field of healthcare logistics and SCM is still in its infancy, with few papers published. The papers with a supply chain or network as unit of analysis are mostly conceptual and the case studies mainly descriptive studies on a single healthcare unit. Some major challenges for future research is how to manage a complex service context, how to create flexibility in healthcare provision and coordinate multiple healthcare actors.
Research limitations/implications
The findings should be considered as conceptual, and provides a basis for further empirical and theoretical based research.
Practical implications
The results provide a basis for healthcare organizations and their managers, to build upon in their continuing efforts to develop more efficient patient flows.
Original/value
This literature review responds to the absence of an overview on research in healthcare logistics and SCM. It contributes to both logistics and SCM literature by identifying some important challenges and gaps for future research.
Keywords
Healthcare, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Patient flow, Literature review
National Category
Transport Systems and Logistics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-111587 (URN)
2014-10-272014-10-272022-08-24Bibliographically approved