Shortages can be problematic in any industry, but they have the potential to be that much worse when you’re talking about health care. Drug shortages can be a problem because patients need to have access to specific drugs to receive proper treatments. It’s also true that a shortage of medical devices can present many issues. The reality of shortages in health care must be understood, though, if hospitals are going to be able to adapt to provide the best care to patients.
Improper Planning
Failing to plan properly can lead to shortages in the healthcare field. Health care can be tough when it comes to ordering supplies. You see, it’s not always easy to accurately gauge the demand for certain products and this can lead to discrepancies. There might be a spike in demand due to some event and a given hospital isn’t going to be ready because they’re short on specific medical devices.
Storms
Storms can also have an impact on shortages. When a significant storm impacts an area, it’s going to make it tougher for supplies to get where they need to go. Large hurricanes might devastate a given area and this could make it very difficult for suppliers to keep the supply chain running efficiently. Having a shortage of supplies during a natural disaster and during the recovery from that event will make things more onerous.
Economic and Political Issues
There are also times when economic and political issues will impact the healthcare supply chain. For example, tariffs and other issues might prevent healthcare facilities from importing supplies from certain nations. Economic and political variables can have a negative impact on the supply chain. This can lead to increased shortages when something shifts in the market and it becomes tougher to get supplies from a particular source.
Sterilization Issues
Certain hospitals will take care of sterilization procedures themselves, but many prefer to rely on sterilization plants that will make the products ready to use upon delivery. When sterilization plants close down, this creates a shortage of medical devices that are ready to use. Problems like this can complicate matters for hospitals when they need medical devices as soon as possible. Shutdowns and delays in the sterilization process have a real impact on the healthcare industry.