Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Key Performance Indicators in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains

Abstract

Pharmaceutical Supply Chains (PSCs) represent one of the key segments of modern healthcare systems, given their direct impact on patient safety, therapy availability, and healthcare sustainability. The complexity of these chains stems from stringent logistical and regulatory requirements and the necessity of maintaining product quality and safety, as well as demand uncertainty and global supply disruptions. Effective management of PSCs requires systematic performance monitoring, the identification of key indicators, and decision-making based on objective measures. This paper identifies and describes key performance indicators (KPIs), including strategic collaboration, supply chain security, service quality, sustainability, costs, flexibility, resilience, risk management, and visibility. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method, these indicators were ranked. Safety, resilience, and service quality were found to be the most important for supply chain operations. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of KPIs in PSCs, identifies a set of relevant indicators, determines their significance through the AHP method, and provides practical guidelines for managers regarding priorities in KPI management and monitoring.