Simulation of Hospital Waste Supply Chain in the Context of Industry 4.0—A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Supply chain management is a crucial task for all companies, as it is essential to respond to increased demand and competitiveness. An exponential increase in hospital waste can cause very significant risks to both humans and the environment if it is not treated adequately. In this way, the efficient management of this waste can bring benefits and prevent an increase in the likelihood of disease occurring. With the growth of technology, there are various tools available to improve decision-making in the supply chain. Simulation, one of the pillars of Industry 4.0, is one of the tools being used. With the complexity of systems increasing, hybrid simulation provides more precise solutions to problems. The aim of this article is therefore to systematically research and analyze the literature on the use of simulation/hybrid simulation in supply chains in the health sector. In this way, 20 articles that approach simulation as a decision support tool in hospital waste supply chains were analyzed in the context of Industry 4.0. The results indicate that the years 2020 and 2023 had the highest number of publications (with five each) and that countries such as China and Indonesia had the highest number of documents on this topic (with five each). The topics in this research area with more related documents were environmental sciences, computer sciences and medicine. This research highlights the fundamental role of simulation approaches in improving the performance of supply chains in the healthcare sector, promoting resilience and improving healthcare outcomes for patients.