Unaddressed problems and research perspectives in scheduling blood collection from donors

Abstract

Many optimisation problems arise in managing the Blood Donation (BD) supply chain. Most of them have been addressed in the literature, while other problems, e.g. donation scheduling, have not been sufficiently addressed so far. However, blood collection from donors may have a disruptive impact on the entire BD supply chain if not properly managed. For example, scheduling donation appointments based on some system metrics may improve the flow of blood units through the BD supply chain and increase the quality of service perceived by donors. In this short communication, we present the donation scheduling problem and highlight the lack of work in the literature that deals with this problem. Then, we analyse the impact of an unbalanced flow of blood units on the BD system and the benefits that may derive from a suitable appointment scheduling. Finally, we propose suggestions for future research in BD collection scheduling that may improve the BD process.

Keywords:

• Blood donation supply chain
• donation appointment scheduling
• research perspectives

Acknowledgements

Authors thank the General Director, Dr Sergio Casartelli, and the staff of the Milan Department of the Associazione Volontari Italiani Sangue (AVIS) for the collaboration and the support in highlighting the problems that are discussed in this short communication.