Canada’s healthcare systems continue to experience multiple and lengthy supply chain disruptions, compounded by limited digital infrastructure and a lack of real-time visibility into risks of supply disruptions. Despite growing awareness of health supply vulnerabilities, there is no standardized tool currently to assess the risks of supply shortages for patients or the health workforce. This paper introduces a healthcare supply risk assessment tool that quantifies both the probability of disruption and its impact on patient care, to enable proactive decision-making to mitigate risks to patients and the health system workforce.

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 paper presents a co-design strategy supported by the SCAN Health Community of Practice to define a digital supply chain strategy that will ensure health systems have the supply chain capacity to deliver quality and safe care to Canadians.