The COVID-19 pandemic: Inventory management and allocation of personal protective equipment

An unprecedented supply chain collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic led to shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the globe. While there are general frameworks that exist for the ethical allocation of equipment (e.g., ventilators) in a hospital setting, little has been detailed in the literature on best practices for ethical PPE management. Here, we comprehensively review ethical principles from various sources on this topic. This chapter first explores more broadly ethical principles for scarce resource distribution during pandemics, which PPE-centric management approaches draw from. Then, approaches to PPE distribution and inventory management from the literature, public health guidelines, and a grassroots organization, GetMePPE Chicago, are discussed and reflected upon. Finally, best practices for inventory management and PPE distribution are recommended based on the synthesis of these approaches.