DALMINE
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Upon completing the module, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the key logistics concepts essential to the healthcare sector. These concepts include forecasting, which involves predicting future demand for healthcare products and services; warehousing, which refers to the storage and management of goods and equipment; inventory control, which is the process of managing stock levels to ensure the availability of goods; material handling, which encompasses the movement of goods within a facility; facilities location, which involves the strategic selection of optimal locations for healthcare facilities; and resource allocation, which involves the efficient allocation of resources to achieve maximum output.
Furthermore, students will be equipped with the necessary methodological approaches and tools to tackle logistics problems that arise in the healthcare sector. These skills include the ability to analyze complex logistics challenges, identify potential solutions, and implement practical strategies to optimize operations. By the end of the module, students will have gained a solid foundation in logistics management, allowing them to effectively contribute to the success of healthcare organizations and improve patient outcomes.
Course Prerequisites
Healthcare Operations, Basic statistics concepts, Basic use of Excel.
Teaching Methods
The course follows a problem-based approach, starting with the presentation of a typical healthcare logistics problem that will be discussed in the classroom with the students, and then building the main solutions adopted to solve it, along with the theory and main definitions of the concepts underlying it. Approximately half of the course will be dedicated to solving realistic applied problems in the classroom or through group work, applying problem-solving strategies and tools learned during the theory lessons.
Furthermore, during the course, two meetings will be organized with qualified reference personalities from some companies operating in the healthcare logistics sector aimed at deepening the real methodologies and applications of topics covered in class.
Teaching materials will include lecture slides, scientific articles, case studies, and problem sets to be solved using Excel or Python tools. Suggested textbooks and additional readings will be made available via the e-learning platform.
Assessment Methods
The final course exam will be conducted orally and the evaluation will be expressed out of thirty. The interrogation will consist of four questions covering the entire program in order to verify the acquisition of knowledge imparted to students during the teaching of all course modules. For only attending students, it will be possible to take intermediate tests on different course modules. This part will not be subject to further specific verification during the final exam, except for the necessary connection with the themes of the remaining part of the program. In order to register for the partial exam, specific lists will be made available to attending students during class hours.
Contents
The teaching program includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:
1. The logistics area in healthcare
a. Overview of logistics in general
b. The supply chain concept. The healthcare supply chain.
c. What are the peculiarities of logistics in the healthcare sector?
d. Approaches and tools for the logistics management in the healthcare sector
2. Forecasting demand for healthcare services
a. Overview of demand forecasting
b. The role of forecasting in healthcare
c. Forecasting methods, approaches and tools
3. Inventory management
a. Overview of the inventory management characteristics and strategies
b. The role of the inventory management in the healthcare sector with a focus on the hospital warehouses
c. The single period (Newsvendor) problem in healthcare management
4. Humanitarian and Disaster relief operations and supply chain
a. Overview of Humanitarian logistics
b. Analysis of the main healthcare logistics issues in the humanitarian and disaster relief operations context
c. Approaches and tools
5. The location of healthcare facilities
a. Location factors in healthcare
b. How to locate healthcare facilities? Models and criteria (covering problems)
c. Application of the p-median and p-cover models
6. The Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP)
a. Overview of Vehicle Routing Problems
b. The role of the VRP in healthcare contexts
c. How to solve a VRP in healthcare contexts: approaches and tools
The course follows a problem-based approach, starting with the presentation of a typical healthcare logistics problem that will be discussed in the classroom with the students, and then building the main solutions adopted to solve it, along with the theory and main definitions of the concepts underlying it. Approximately half of the course will be dedicated to solving realistic applied problems in the classroom or through group work, applying problem-solving strategies and tools learned during the theory lessons.
Furthermore, during the course, two meetings will be organized with qualified reference personalities from some companies operating in the healthcare logistics sector aimed at deepening the real methodologies and applications of topics covered in class.
Online Resources
More information
Teaching materials, case studies, and datasets will be made available through the university’s e-learning platform (Moodle) on the course's page. Additional tools such as Excel, optimization solvers, and simulation templates will be introduced during hands-on sessions.
The course is taught in English. However, additional support in Italian may be provided during office hours or as needed to clarify key concepts.