Inventory control for point-of-use locations in hospitals

Most inventory management systems at hospital departments are characterised by lost sales, periodic reviews with short lead times, and limited storage capacity. We develop two types of exact models that deal with all these characteristics. In a capacity model, the service level is maximised subject to a capacity restriction, and in a service model the required capacity is minimised subject to a service level restriction. We also formulate approximation models applicable for any lost-sales inventory system (cost objective, no lead time restrictions etc). For the capacity model, we develop a simple inventory rule to set the reorder levels and order quantities. Numerical results for this inventory rule show an average deviation of 1% from the optimal service levels. We also embed the single-item models in a multi-item system. Furthermore, we compare the performance of fixed order size replenishment policies and (R, s, S) policies

The drug logistics process: an innovation experience

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present the latest innovations in the drug distribution processes of hospital companies, which are currently dealing with high inventory and storage costs and fragmented organizational responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach - The literature review and the in-depth analysis of a case study support the understanding of the unit dose drug distribution system and the subsequent definition of the practical implications for hospital companies. Findings - Starting from the insights offered by the case study, the analysis shows that the unit dose system allows hospitals to improve the patient care quality and reduce costs. Research limitations/implications - The limitations of the research are those related to the theoretical and exploratory nature of the study, but from a practical point of view, the work provides important indications to the management of healthcare companies, which have to innovate their drug distribution systems. Originality/value - This paper analyzes a new and highly topical issue and provides several insights for the competitive development of a fundamental sector

Location analysis - possibilities of use in public administration

V článku jsou stručně popsána teoretická východiska lokační teorie a možnosti využití v oblasti veřejné správy jako je navrhování sítí a lokace různých zařízení v geografickém prostoru regionů.The paper under consideration describes key theoretical issues of continuous/discrete location theory and possibilities of applications in the area of public administration activities such as networks design and location of different facilities in geographical area of regions

Comparing conventional and distributed approaches to simulation in complex supply-chain health systems

Decision making in modern supply chains can be extremely daunting due to their complex nature. Discrete-event simulation is a technique that can support decision making by providing what-if analysis and evaluation of quantitative data. However, modelling supply chain systems can result in massively large and complicated models that can take a very long time to run even with today's powerful desktop computers. Distributed simulation has been suggested as a possible solution to this problem, by enabling the use of multiple computers to run models. To investigate this claim, this paper presents experiences in implementing a simulation model with a 'conventional' approach and with a distributed approach. This study takes place in a healthcare setting, the supply chain of blood from donor to recipient. The study compares conventional and distributed model execution times of a supply chain model simulated in the simulation package Simul8. The results show that the execution time of the conventional approach increases almost linearly with the size of the system and also the simulation run period. However, the distributed approach to this problem follows a more linear distribution of the execution time in terms of system size and run time and appears to offer a practical alternative. On the basis of this, the paper concludes that distributed simulation can be successfully applied in certain situations

Supply chain management of blood products: a literature review.

This paper presents a review of the literature on inventory and supply chain management of blood products. First, we identify different perspectives on approaches to classifying the existing material. Each perspective is presented as a table in which the classification is displayed. The classification choices are exemplified through the citation of key references or by expounding the features of the perspective. The main contribution of this review is to facilitate the tracing of published work in relevant fields of interest, as well as identifying trends and indicating which areas should be subject to future research.OR in health services; Supply chain management; Inventory; Blood products; Literature review;

Mapping environmental injustices: pitfalls and potential of geographic information systems in assessing environmental health and equity.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been used increasingly to map instances of environmental injustice, the disproportionate exposure of certain populations to environmental hazards. Some of the technical and analytic difficulties of mapping environmental injustice are outlined in this article, along with suggestions for using GIS to better assess and predict environmental health and equity. I examine 13 GIS-based environmental equity studies conducted within the past decade and use a study of noxious land use locations in the Bronx, New York, to illustrate and evaluate the differences in two common methods of determining exposure extent and the characteristics of proximate populations. Unresolved issues in mapping environmental equity and health include lack of comprehensive hazards databases; the inadequacy of current exposure indices; the need to develop realistic methodologies for determining the geographic extent of exposure and the characteristics of the affected populations; and the paucity and insufficiency of health assessment data. GIS have great potential to help us understand the spatial relationship between pollution and health. Refinements in exposure indices; the use of dispersion modeling and advanced proximity analysis; the application of neighborhood-scale analysis; and the consideration of other factors such as zoning and planning policies will enable more conclusive findings. The environmental equity studies reviewed in this article found a disproportionate environmental burden based on race and/or income. It is critical now to demonstrate correspondence between environmental burdens and adverse health impacts--to show the disproportionate effects of pollution rather than just the disproportionate distribution of pollution sources

Smaller, Closer, Dirtier: Diesel Backup Generators in California

Quantifies the threat to air quality and human health by backup generators, and examines air quality in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Fresno, with some analysis of San Francisco as well

Barnes Hospital Bulletin

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/bjc_barnes_bulletin/1148/thumbnail.jp

The Role of Transportation in Campus Emergency Planning, MTI Report 08-06

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina created the greatest natural disaster in American history. The states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama sustained significant damage, including 31 colleges and universities. Other institutions of higher education, most notably Louisiana State University (LSU), became resources to the disaster area. This is just one of the many examples of disaster impacts on institutions of higher education. The Federal Department of Homeland Security, under Homeland Security Presidential Directive–5, requires all public agencies that want to receive federal preparedness assistance to comply with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which includes the creation of an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Universities, which may be victims or resources during disasters, must write NIMS–compliant emergency plans. While most university emergency plans address public safety and logistics management, few adequately address the transportation aspects of disaster response and recovery. This MTI report describes the value of integrating transportation infrastructure into the campus emergency plan, including planning for helicopter operations. It offers a list of materials that can be used to educate and inform campus leadership on campus emergency impacts, including books about the Katrina response by LSU and Tulane Hospital, contained in the report´s bibliography. It provides a complete set of Emergency Operations Plan checklists and organization charts updated to acknowledge lessons learned from Katrina, 9/11 and other wide–scale emergencies. Campus emergency planners can quickly update their existing emergency management documents by integrating selected annexes and elements, or create new NIMS–compliant plans by adapting the complete set of annexes to their university´s structures

Cognitive-behavioral factors associated with sleep quality in chronic pain patients

People with chronic pain commonly complain of sleep disturbance. This study reports the characteristics of the pain and sleep of a large sample of patients with chronic pain (n = 160). This study compared subgroups of good sleepers with pain (n = 48) and poor sleepers with pain (n = 108). Poor sleepers with pain were younger and reported more pain, pain-related disability, depression, pain-related anxiety, and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep. Using simultaneous regression analysis, this study examined the roles of pain, dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, pain-related disability, depression, and pain-related anxiety in predicting concurrent sleep quality. The findings are relevant to the development of models of sleep disturbance comorbid with chronic pain