Abstract
Purpose Blood, like fresh produce, is a perishable element, with platelets having a limited lifetime of five days and red blood cells lasting 42 days. To manage the blood supply chain more effectively under demand and supply uncertainty, it is of considerable importance to developing a practical blood supply chain model. This paper proposed an essential blood supply chain model under demand and supply uncertainty. Methods This study focused on how to manage the blood supply chain under demand and supply uncertainty effectively. A stochastic mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for the blood supply chain is proposed. Furthermore, this study conducted a sensitivity analysis to examine the impacts of the coefficient of demand and supply variation and the cost parameters on the average total cost and the performance measures (units of shortage, outdated units, inventory holding units, and purchased units) for both the blood center and hospitals. Results Based on the results, the hospitals and the blood center can choose the optimal ordering policy that works best for them. From the results, we observed that when the coefficient of demand and supply variation is increased, the expected supply chain cost increased with more outdating units, shortages units, and holding units due to the impacts of supply and demand fluctuation. Variation in the inventory holding and expiration costs has an insignificant effect on the total cost. Conclusions The model developed in this paper can assist managers and pathologists at the blood donation centers and hospitals to determine the most efficient inventory policy with a minimum cost based on the uncertainty of blood supply and demand. The model also performs as a decision support system to help health care professionals manage and control blood inventory more effectively under blood supply and demand uncertainty, thus reducing shortage of blood and expired wastage of blood.
Highlights
Blood and its components are all required in a variety of treatments, including cancer treatments, organ transplants, primary surgical operations, and trauma care
E blood supply chain involves three main sectors: the hospitals—where the blood transfusion is ordered for patients, the blood center—a centralized location that receives requests from the hospitals, and the suppliers—an entity that is involved in donor management [2, 3]. e uncertainties in donations and demand for blood, the perishability of blood products, and the different echelons of the blood supply chain are the attributes and factors that have a substantial impact on the management of blood
An interconnected series of blood management is called the blood supply chain management (BSCM). e significant challenges it faces are related to blood shortage, outdating, and supply chain costs, which are all needed to be minimized
Summary
Blood and its components are all required in a variety of treatments, including cancer treatments, organ transplants, primary surgical operations, and trauma care. E significant challenges it faces are related to blood shortage, outdating, and supply chain costs, which are all needed to be minimized. The uncertainty in blood supply and demand creates even more significant challenges for blood supply chain management. On account of demand and supply uncertainty, mitigation efforts to manage and minimize the impact of outdated blood and shortages continue representing a challenging problem for hospitals [6]. Is study focused on how to manage the blood supply chain under demand and supply uncertainty effectively. This study conducted a sensitivity analysis to examine the impacts of the coefficient of demand and supply variation (CV) and the cost parameters (CS) on the average total cost and the performance measures (units of shortage, outdated units, inventory holding units, and purchased units) for both the blood center and hospitals.
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