Advancing Digitally Enabled Supply Chain as a Strategy to Strengthen Resilience of Canada’s Health Supply Chain
Abstract
Currently, most healthcare organizations in Canada lack the capacity to identify products on hand, track their location or link product use in the delivery of healthcare to patient outcomes. These digital blind spots are associated with delayed product-recall responsiveness, compromised patient safety and a limited ability to make data-driven decisions during supply disruptions. This study presents a co-design strategy supported by the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCANH) Community of Practice to define a digital supply chain strategy that will ensure that health systems have the supply chain capacity to deliver quality and safe care to Canadians. Using Delphi methodology and roundtable consultation among diverse health system stakeholders (n = 35), four system-level strategies are described to advance digitally enabled supply chain within and across Canadian health systems, including: (1) the key features of a clinically integrated, digitally enabled health supply chain; (2) defined data sources and data content to strengthen product traceability (e.g., unique product identification; location data; utilization at point of care); (3) integration of global product data standards to strengthen accuracy and consistency of supply chain management; and (4) interoperability of product data across Canadian healthcare systems. Project findings leverage current federal, provincial and territorial data modernization efforts, such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s Pan-Canadian Health Data Content Framework strategy and Canada Health Infoway’s Interoperability initiatives. The results of the co-design strategy offer a strategic path forward to advance a digitally enabled health supply chain across Canada, illustrating how access to standardized product data empowers proactive, evidence-based supply chain decisions that protect patient safety and improve system resilience.