Leveraging Blockchain Technology to Enhance Supply Chain Management in Healthcare:

Abstract

Background: Effective supply chain management is a challenge in every sector, but in healthcare there is added complexity and risk as a compromised supply chain in healthcare can directly impact patient safety and health outcomes. One potential solution for improving security, integrity, data provenance, and functionality of the health supply chain is blockchain technology.
 Objectives: Provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges associated with blockchain adoption and deployment for the health supply chain, with a focus on the pharmaceutical supply, medical device and supplies, Internet of Healthy Things (IoHT), and public health sectors.
 Methods: A narrative review was conducted of the academic literature, grey literature, and industry publications, in addition to identifying and characterizing select stakeholders engaged in exploring blockchain solutions for the health supply chain.
 Results: Critical challenges in protecting the integrity of the health supply chain appear well suited for adoption of blockchain technology. Use cases are emerging, including using blockchain to combat counterfeit medicines, securing medical devices, optimizing functionality of IoHT, and improving the public health supply chain. Despite these clear opportunities, most blockchain initiatives remain in proof-of-concept or pilot phase.
 Conclusion: Blockchain technology has the unrealized promise to help improve the health supply chain, but further study, evaluation and alignment with policy mechanisms is needed.
 Keywords: Blockchain, Distributed Ledger, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical, Supply chain

Geospatial blockchain: promises, challenges, and scenarios in health and healthcare

“…Delivering substandard or counterfeit medications can have incredibly adverse effects on the people the medications were meant to help. In 2016, “the global market for fake, substandard, counterfeit, and grey market medicines [accounted] for up to $200 billion per year” [24]. Ensuring medication authenticity is vital for patient health and outcomes.…”

“…In response to the threat of obtaining more fake medications, the US has started to implement the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). Key requirements for supply chain management technologies compliant to DSCSA are product identification, product tracing, product verification, detection and response to non-standard medications, notification upon identifying a non-standard medication, and the ability to store relevant information including licensures, verification, and product information [24]. Blockchain technology is applicable and compatible with each key requirement of DSCSA.…”

“…Blockchain technology can be implemented in this field by holding unique device identifiers for each medical device (a requirement by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the EU) and by keeping track and issuing firmware updates by utilising smart contracts. A partnership between Edinburgh Napier University, NHS (National Health Service) Scotland, and Spiritus Development is leading an effort to use blockchain technology to track medical devices through their lifecycle [24, 25]. This device tracking has the potential to improve safety and efficiency of medical devices through more responsive device recalls and issued notices [24, 25].…”

“…A partnership between Edinburgh Napier University, NHS (National Health Service) Scotland, and Spiritus Development is leading an effort to use blockchain technology to track medical devices through their lifecycle [24, 25]. This device tracking has the potential to improve safety and efficiency of medical devices through more responsive device recalls and issued notices [24, 25]. Blockchain-based medical device tracking also can utilise immutability to prevent device loss, theft, or any other sort of malicious tampering.…”

“…Blockchain technology can improve supply chain management in a number of ways including: “… reducing or eliminating fraud and errors, reducing delays from paperwork, improving inventory management, identifying issues more rapidly, minimising courier costs, and increasing consumer and partner trust” [24, 26]. …”