College of Engineering, Universidad del Desarrollo, Concepción Blood Centre, Concepción, Chile; College of Engineering, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile.
Transfusion. 2014 Feb;54(2):323-30. doi: 10.1111/trf.12287. Epub 2013 Jun 13.
The storage of blood components is an important concern in the blood supply chain. Because these are perishable products, the definition of good inventory policies is crucial to reduce shortages and spills.
To analyze and propose inventory policies in a regional blood center, a discrete event simulation model was created using simulation software (Arena 12.0, Rockwell Software). The model replicates the activities that are performed along the supply chain including donation arrivals, testing, production, inventory management, and dispatching.
Twelve different scenarios were analyzed, with each one representing different inventory policies composed of a combination of an optimal inventory, a reorder point, and a level of extra donations. The best scenario demonstrates that it is possible to decrease unsatisfied demand and wastage of red blood cell units by 2.5 and 3%, respectively, when compared to current practices.
This study shows that simulation is an alternative that can be used to model inventory components in blood centers. A responsible selection of inventory variables can improve the capability of the system to respond to the final patient requirements.
血液成分的储存是血液供应链中的一个重要关注点。由于这些产品是易腐的，因此制定良好的库存政策对于减少短缺和浪费至关重要。
为了在区域血液中心分析和提出库存政策，使用仿真软件（Arena 12.0，Rockwell Software）创建了一个离散事件仿真模型。该模型复制了沿着供应链执行的活动，包括捐赠到达、测试、生产、库存管理和调度。
分析了 12 种不同的方案，每种方案代表不同的库存政策，由最佳库存、再订购点和额外捐赠水平的组合组成。与当前实践相比，最佳方案表明，分别减少 2.5%和 3%的不满意需求和红细胞单位的浪费是有可能的。
本研究表明，仿真可以作为一种替代方法，用于模拟血液中心的库存组件。明智地选择库存变量可以提高系统响应最终患者需求的能力。
