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What makes a physician prefer one supplier over another? A study on physicians’ supplier preference criteria.

Freij, Farah (2022) What makes a physician prefer one supplier over another? A study on physicians’ supplier preference criteria.

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Abstract:Various research has shown that clinical input has probably been the most important influence over expensive medical items choices for decades. However, what elements influence the physicians’ criteria has been quite neglected in literature. Due to the unclarity of these criteria, inefficiencies within the procurement process and supply chain are likely to emerge. Therefore, this study is aimed at finding out which criteria determine the physicians’ preferences over certain suppliers. For this study, the databases of Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed were used to review articles. Furthermore, case study research was conducted, containing three interviews held with experts that work in healthcare organizations. Based on the literature review and interviews, multiple physicians’ criteria to prefer one supplier over another came to play. Moreover, the interviews revealed that distinction in criteria tends to be made when taking disposable and non-disposable products into account. For disposable items the physicians’ base their supplier preference on the costs of the product that suppliers offer. Regarding non-disposable medical items, the physicians’ supplier preference criteria are product innovation, sales/service, brands offered, instrumentation of the product, available supplies, price awareness of products, longevity of the product, ease of use of product, manufacturer reputation, sales representatives, training programs, existing relationships with other physicians, possibility to develop a close relationship with supplier, cost of the product, and quality of the product.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:International Business Administration BSc (50952)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/90973
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