From Adopting Industry 4.0 Technologies to Improving Operational Performance in Hospital Supply Chain: The Moderating Effect of HSC Complexity

Abstract

Background: The hospital supply chain (HSC) is one of the main levers for improving the performance of any healthcare organization. HSC stakeholders evolve in a dynamic environment marked by great complexity. This observation led us to conduct research, through which we examined several factors enabling operational performance to be achieved within the HSC. Methods: For the empirical verification, we opted for a survey of a relevant sample composed of health professionals operating in different Moroccan hospitals, particularly in the logistics departments. Afterwards, the data were analyzed using a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method to test the hypothesized relationships in this study. Results: The results show that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies improve collaborative aspects between logistics processes and flows, and thus ensure better integration of HSC. The research also highlights the moderating effect of HSC complexity in the relationship between HSC integration and HSC operational performance, i.e., HSC integration increases HSC operational performance in a context marked by high complexity. Conclusions: This paper explores the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on HSC operational performance. The study provides hospital managers and practitioners with insights to improve HSC operational performance through integration initiatives, ultimately better meeting the needs of healthcare professionals and contributing to improve the quality of care.