E-Supply Chain Management Practices and Operational Performance of Hospitals of Kiambu County in Kenya

Abstract

Health care supply chain management is vital to ensure good service to patients in a cost-optimized manner. In Kenya inadequacies and inefficiencies such: chronic stock outs of medicine, pilferage of medicine in public hospitals, expired stocks, late deliveries, lengthy periods during treatment; plague the Health Care supply chain system. This study examined the effect of E-supply chain practices on operational efficiency of hospitals in the County of Kiambu in Kenya, in a survey of 39 hospitals. The study revealed that adoption of the hospital management information system; Electronic procurement; and E-logistics practices; significantly and positively affects operational performance. The study observes that most public hospitals have not adopted E-supply chain practices; and avers this could explain the challenges facing public hospitals such as long queues, pilferage and long queues in public hospitals. The study recommends adoption of E-supply chain Practices; and invites researchers to examine the shallow adoption of E-supply chain practices in Public Hospitals.