Managing Crises in the Healthcare Service Chain: Lessons from the Past and Future Directions

This paper explores the strategic importance of information systems for managing such crises as the H1N1 outbreak and the Haiti earthquake in the healthcare service chain. The paper synthesizes the literature on crisis management and information systems for emergency response and draws some key lessons for healthcare service chains. The paper illustrates these lessons by using data from an empirical case study in the region of Crete in Greece. The author concludes by discussing some future directions in managing crises in the healthcare service chain, including the importance of distributive, adaptive crisis management through new technologies like mashups.