Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare supply chain in Saudi Arabia, offering a wide range of benefits, including improved patient care, reduced costs, and more efficient operations. However, the adoption of IoT in the Saudi Arabian healthcare supply chain is still in its early stages, and there are a number of barriers that need to be addressed. This paper identifies and analyzes 14 potential barriers to IoT adoption in the Saudi Arabian healthcare supply chain, based on a review of the literature and brainstorming with experts from industry and academia. The contextual relationship between the identified barriers was developed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM), and the results were used to determine the driving and dependence power of the barriers using MICMAC analysis. The findings of the study suggest that the legal and regulatory environment and the lack of IT infrastructure are the two most important barriers to IoT adoption in the Saudi Arabian healthcare supply chain. Other important barriers include the lack of awareness and expertise among healthcare professionals, the lack of resources, and resistance to change. The findings of this study will be useful for decision-makers in the Saudi Arabian healthcare sector to understand the barriers to IoT adoption and to develop strategies to overcome these barriers.