Vein to vein: exploring blood supply chains in Canada

Abstract

There is not yet any substitute for human blood which remains a scarce resource in many countries. Effective and efficient management of blood supply chains (BSCs) is utmost important in the healthcare industry. This paper gives an overview of the BSC and how blood products are used at hospitals to provide life-saving services to patients.  Factoring in the blood types and their receipt compatibility, a simple inventory model is proposed. Using secondary data, the model is illustrated by way of a small case study in Nova Scotia, Canada. We highlight that due to both demand and supply uncertainties, and due to its perishable nature, inventorying blood products is not straightforward and brings with it many logistical and management challenges in the BSC.