IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0246110.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Game theory to enhance stock management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak

Author

Listed:
  • Khaled Abedrabboh
  • Matthias Pilz
  • Zaid Al-Fagih
  • Othman S Al-Fagih
  • Jean-Christophe Nebel
  • Luluwah Al-Fagih

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities have suffered from shortages in medical resources, particularly in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In this paper, we propose a game-theoretic approach to schedule PPE orders among healthcare facilities. In this PPE game, each independent healthcare facility optimises its own storage utilisation in order to keep its PPE cost at a minimum. Such a model can reduce peak demand considerably when applied to a variable PPE consumption profile. Experiments conducted for NHS England regions using actual data confirm that the challenge of securing PPE supply during disasters such as COVID-19 can be eased if proper stock management procedures are adopted. These procedures can include early stockpiling, increasing storage capacities and implementing measures that can prolong the time period between successive infection waves, such as social distancing measures. Simulation results suggest that the provision of PPE dedicated storage space can be a viable solution to avoid straining PPE supply chains in case a second wave of COVID-19 infections occurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Khaled Abedrabboh & Matthias Pilz & Zaid Al-Fagih & Othman S Al-Fagih & Jean-Christophe Nebel & Luluwah Al-Fagih, 2021. "Game theory to enhance stock management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(2), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0246110
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246110
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246110
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246110&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0246110?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peng Sun & Liu Yang & Francis de Véricourt, 2009. "Selfish Drug Allocation for Containing an International Influenza Pandemic at the Onset," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 57(6), pages 1320-1332, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Linus Nyiwul, 2021. "Epidemic Control and Resource Allocation: Approaches and Implications for the Management of COVID-19," Studies in Microeconomics, , vol. 9(2), pages 283-305, December.
    2. Westerink-Duijzer, L.E. & Schlicher, L.P.J. & Musegaas, M., 2019. "Fair allocations for cooperation problems in vaccination," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2019-06, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    3. Balazs Pejo & Gergely Biczok, 2020. "Corona Games: Masks, Social Distancing and Mechanism Design," Papers 2006.06674, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2020.
    4. Aakil M. Caunhye & Xiaofeng Nie, 2018. "A Stochastic Programming Model for Casualty Response Planning During Catastrophic Health Events," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(2), pages 437-453, March.
    5. Guihua Wang, 2022. "Stay at home to stay safe: Effectiveness of stay‐at‐home orders in containing the COVID‐19 pandemic," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(5), pages 2289-2305, May.
    6. Lotty E. Westerink‐Duijzer & Loe P. J. Schlicher & Marieke Musegaas, 2020. "Core Allocations for Cooperation Problems in Vaccination," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(7), pages 1720-1737, July.
    7. Saed Alizamir & Francis de Véricourt & Shouqiang Wang, 2020. "Warning Against Recurring Risks: An Information Design Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4612-4629, October.
    8. Monali Malvankar-Mehta & Bin Xie, 2012. "Optimal incentives for allocating HIV/AIDS prevention resources among multiple populations," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 327-338, December.
    9. Xiaoyan Xu & Suresh P. Sethi & Sai‐Ho Chung & Tsan‐Ming Choi, 2023. "Reforming global supply chain management under pandemics: The GREAT‐3Rs framework," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(2), pages 524-546, February.
    10. Bal'azs Pej'o & Gergely Bicz'ok, 2021. "Games in the Time of COVID-19: Promoting Mechanism Design for Pandemic Response," Papers 2106.12329, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2022.
    11. Caunhye, Aakil M. & Li, Mingzhe & Nie, Xiaofeng, 2015. "A location-allocation model for casualty response planning during catastrophic radiological incidents," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 32-44.
    12. Stephen E. Chick & Sameer Hasija & Javad Nasiry, 2017. "Information Elicitation and Influenza Vaccine Production," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 65(1), pages 75-96, February.
    13. Hamed Mamani & Stephen E. Chick & David Simchi-Levi, 2013. "A Game-Theoretic Model of International Influenza Vaccination Coordination," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(7), pages 1650-1670, July.
    14. Manupati, Vijaya Kumar & Schoenherr, Tobias & Subramanian, Nachiappan & Ramkumar, M. & Soni, Bhanushree & Panigrahi, Suraj, 2021. "A multi-echelon dynamic cold chain for managing vaccine distribution," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    15. Duijzer, Lotty Evertje & van Jaarsveld, Willem & Dekker, Rommert, 2018. "Literature review: The vaccine supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(1), pages 174-192.
    16. Stephen E. Chick & Sameer Hasija & Javad Nasiry, 2017. "Information Elicitation and Influenza Vaccine Production," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 65(1), pages 75-96, February.
    17. Westerink-Duijzer, L.E. & van Jaarsveld, W.L. & Wallinga, J. & Dekker, R., 2015. "Dose-optimal vaccine allocation over multiple populations," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2015-29, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    18. Daron Acemoglu & Ali Makhdoumi & Azarakhsh Malekian & Asuman Ozdaglar, 2020. "Testing, Voluntary Social Distancing and the Spread of an Infection," NBER Working Papers 27483, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0246110. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.