In the complex healthcare supply chain, traceability is critical to ensuring safety, efficiency, and accountability. When a product recall occurs due to defects or expired items, the ability to trace every product and patient affected is paramount. Unfortunately, many healthcare systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), lack the infrastructure to provide real-time traceability. This leads to costly delays, risks to patient safety, and operational inefficiencies.
The Challenges of Traceability in Healthcare
Healthcare supply chains without robust traceability systems face significant challenges:
1. Delayed Recalls:
Studies show that nearly 50% of healthcare facilities in LMICs experience delays of 7-14 days in identifying and recalling affected products, posing a direct threat to patient safety.
2. Expired Products:
Up to 20% of medical supplies in LMICs are wasted annually due to expiration. Without timely alerts, these products can remain in circulation, leading to potential harm.
3. Fragmented Data:
Healthcare providers often rely on multiple disconnected systems, making it difficult to trace products from manufacturer to patient, leading to gaps in accountability and inefficiency.
How VisiLite Provides End-to-End Traceability
VisiLite, the flagship solution from Healthcare Systems Solution, addresses these challenges by offering real-time visibility and data-driven alerts for every stage of the product’s journey, from procurement to utilization. Here’s how VisiLite transforms traceability:
1. Real-Time Information on Product Journeys:
• VisiLite provides a digital audit trail of a product’s movement, from manufacturer to patient care.
• In the event of a recall, VisiLite enables healthcare providers to trace affected products in minutes, not weeks, significantly reducing risk to patients.
2. Automatic Expiry Alerts:
• The system issues real-time notifications when products fall outside their expiration tolerance, ensuring expired items are removed from stock immediately.
• This proactive approach has been shown to reduce expired stock usage by 35% in pilot programs.
3. Integrated Product and Patient Data:
• VisiLite links product information with patient data, enabling healthcare providers to identify patients impacted by recalled or defective products quickly.
• This feature ensures 100% accountability in managing adverse events.
4. One Source of Truth:
• All data is centralized on the VisiLite platform, ensuring that supply chain managers, clinicians, and stakeholders work from a single version of the truth, enhancing coordination and decision-making.
Benefits of VisiLite’s Traceability Solution
• Faster Response Times: In recall scenarios, VisiLite reduces identification and response time by up to 80%, allowing facilities to act quickly and prevent harm.
• Reduced Wastage: Automated expiry alerts help reduce product wastage by 25-40%, resulting in significant cost savings.
• Improved Patient Safety: Real-time traceability ensures that only safe and effective products are delivered, stored, and used.
• Enhanced Accountability: With an end-to-end audit trail, VisiLite builds trust among healthcare providers, donors, and regulatory bodies.
Real-World Impact
In a case study in Sub-Saharan Africa, VisiLite was deployed in a national vaccine distribution program:
• Product recalls were managed within 24 hours—a dramatic improvement from the previous average of 10 days.
• Expiry alerts prevented the usage of over 2,000 doses of expired vaccines, ensuring patient safety and preserving trust in the healthcare system.
A Safer Future with VisiLite
VisiLite is more than just a technology—it’s a commitment to making healthcare supply chains safer, smarter, and more accountable. By delivering real-time information and comprehensive traceability, we are building a future where no patient is harmed by expired or defective products and where every healthcare facility operates with maximum efficiency.
Let’s work together to transform healthcare supply chains. Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates and insights.
Healthcare Systems Solution 