Track: Supply Chain Management

Abstract

There is an ongoing challenge in the healthcare sector to meet increased demand. Deployment of innovative technologies is one of the ways to enhance the level of service level in this sector. Blockchain technology has several advantages, such as immutability, security and transparency, which can address major issues in the healthcare supply chain. This research explores the impact of blockchain technology on hospital supply chain performance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Underlined by task-technology fit theory, a conceptual framework of blockchain technology utilisation and its impact on hospital performance is developed. Responses are collected from managers working in both public and private hospitals. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fs-QCA) is used to analyse the impact of blockchain technology on hospital supply chain performance. The results revealed that causal conditions task characteristics (TC), blockchain characteristics (BC), Individual characteristics (IC), task-technology fit (TTF) and blockchain utilisation (BU) are necessary and sufficient for higher levels of hospital performance. The study findings also contribute to an in-depth understanding of how blockchain technology can enhance the healthcare supply chain system by improving its privacy, safety and transparency.

Keywords: Blockchain technology, Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, Hospital supply chain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Task–technology fit theory