Designing supply chain of blood under uncertainty: A case study

Abstract

Ensuring an adequate and healthy blood supply is a persistent challenge that healthcare systems worldwide face. The need for blood donors and their products is constant, while the supply from donors is somewhat irregular, and the demand for these products is often unpredictable. Furthermore, the levels of demand and blood donation are uncertain. As a result, uncertainty plays a crucial role in the blood supply chain, especially during crises such as earthquakes and pandemics. In this regard, designing the Blood Supply Chain Network (BSCN) under uncertainty is essential for meeting fluctuating demand, addressing logistical challenges, responding to emergencies, and ensuring the quality and safety of blood products throughout the supply chain. This research aims to present a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MIP) model under uncertainty for strategic and tactical decision-making in the blood supply chain over a determined planning horizon. The fuzzy theory approach has been used to incorporate uncertainty into the model's parameters. An interactive fuzzy solution approach based on credibility measurement has been developed to solve the fuzzy optimization model. The results obtained from designing and implementing the proposed model in a case study indicate the desirable efficiency of this model in determining the optimal number and location of facilities in a BSCN, including fixed facilities, temporary facilities, and blood banks, as well as the optimal amount of blood transfer between different entities of the blood supply chain. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of the parameters is performed to determine the most influential factors affecting the objective function of the problem.

Keywords

• blood supply chain
• healthcare systems
• uncertainty
• mixed-integer linear programming model