Needs Analysis for Change: Supply and Demand in Healthcare

Today, procurement professionals are struggling to meet the growing and changing demands of a rapidly changing population that is confronted with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a host of other existential healthcare threats. It is also reasonable to suggest that more affluent healthcare consumers have been able to weather this pandemic as well as other health-related challenges more effectively than their less fortunate counterparts, a supposition that is supported by a growing body of research concerning supply and demand constraints in healthcare settings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a needs analysis for change in supply and demand practices in healthcare settings, including the rationale in support of the selection of this topic and a discussion concerning recent scholarly analyses that highlight the disparities that result from constraints in supply and demand in healthcare settings.

Summarize your chosen economic issue and its impact on your work, organization, colleagues, and community.

As noted previously, the economic issue in healthcare selected for this course is the

challenge of supply and demand in health care environments in general and the disparity between

patient needs and resource availability in particular. This issue was chosen due to its widespread impact on healthcare outcomes and its relevance to current trends in health care, such as the increasing demand for services against a backdrop of profound resource constraints. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has exacerbated these challenges, creating an urgent necessity for efficient resource allocation and enhanced access to healthcare services. This issue directly impacts my work as a healthcare professional, as well as the work of my colleagues and our organization, which frequently grapples with resource constraints such as staffing shortfalls and inadequate medical supplies.

Reiterate your rationale for pursuing this issue, as well as the gap contributing to it that you identified in your previous assessment.

As also noted previously, this issue was chosen due to its widespread impact on healthcare outcomes among underserved communities and its relevance to current trends in health care, such as the increasing demand for services amidst a backdrop of resource constraints.

Identify any socioeconomic or diversity disparities that exist with how supply and demand issues impact any particular groups...

As the virus rapidly spread across the world, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and other vital resources skyrocketed, overwhelming existing supply networks. In addition, lockdowns and transportation restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the virus led to widespread bottlenecks and cargo backlogs at major ports and airports. These bottlenecks, coupled with factory closures and labor shortages, resulted in severe shortages of critical medical supplies in many regions. Healthcare facilities, particularly in developing nations, faced acute shortages of masks, gowns, and other PPE, putting frontline workers at heightened risk of contracting the virus (Shurden et al., 2022).

Furthermore, the lack of a coordinated global response and export restrictions imposed by some countries exacerbated the supply chain disruptions. Nations scrambled to secure limited supplies,...

…Economic Advisors recommends that, Resilience can be achieved through better data on the structure of supply chains, investments in redundancy, greater ability to substitute between inputs, and improved communication across the supply chain (Supply chain resilience, 2024). Likewise, Shih (2020) also calls for more resilience in the nations supply chain to respond more effectively to unforeseen disruptions. Certainly, these are important steps towards improving the nations response to healthcare crises, but they only represent part of the solution which remains a work in progress.

Conclusion

The outcomes and opportunities for growth that can be realized through the above-described and like-minded efforts can help address the multiple challenges that have been caused directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic and help ensure that even people living in marginalized communities are able to receive an education, participate in the political process in a meaningful fashion and pursue a vocation of their choice in the future in ways that contribute to Americas economic productivity and its best interests at home and abroad. Nevertheless, every supply chain and its partners are unique in some ways, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this challenge, making the need for informed responses critically important.

References

Kantamneni N. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marginalized populations in the United States: A research agenda. Journal of vocational behavior, 119, 103439.

Setyowati, N., & Amalina, N. S. S. (2024). Impacts of Inequality and Poverty on COVID-19 in Indonesia. Economics & Business Quarterly Reviews, 7(1), 140151.

Shih, W. C. (2020, October). Global Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/09/global-supply-chains-in-a-post-pandemic-world.

Shurden, S., Shurden, M., &…