An approach of purchasing decision support in healthcare supply chain management

The aim of this study is to develop a conceptual approach of supplier selection decision support that promotes in-house methods of decision-making in the healthcare purchasing. Our approach is based on a decision support system (DSS) solution principle in which each selection component is assessed and supported by a new type of DSS model previously developed for rural industries. The study uses survey data to structure a decision model evaluated by a hypothetical case of procuring a hospital x-ray machine. We further demonstrate case data through the features of the DSS model. We believe that the proposed approach addresses a complex supplier selection decision in healthcare purchasing.