A channel by which medicines have been shipped in the right quantity, with acceptable quality, at the appropriate place and costumers and at the proper time, and with optimum cost to be consistent with health system’s objectives.
Published in Chapter:
Application of Technology in Healthcare: Tackling COVID-19 Challenge – The Integration of Blockchain and Internet of Things
Andreia Robert Lopes (Hovione Farmaciencia, Portugal), Ana Sofia Dias (ISEG, Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Portugal), and Bebiana Sá-Moura (ISEG, Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7363-1.ch007
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare worldwide and laid several fundamental problems that will have to be tackled to ensure high-quality healthcare services. This pandemic has represented an unparalleled challenge for healthcare systems and poses an opportunity to innovate and implement new solutions. Digital transformation within healthcare organizations has started and is reshaping healthcare. Technologies such as blockchain and IoT can bring about a revolution in healthcare and help solve many of the problems associated with healthcare systems that the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated. In this chapter, IoT and blockchain technologies were discussed, focusing on their main characteristics, integration benefits, and limitations, identifying the challenges to be addressed soon. The authors further explored its potential in describing concrete cases and possible applications for healthcare in general and specifically for COVID-19.