A view from the eye of the storm: An analytic autoethnographic account of ventilator procurement during COVID-19 first wave

• Published in: Journal of purchasing and supply management 2024-05, p.100940, Article 100940
• Main Authors: Flynn, Ger, Nagle, Tadhg, Fitzgerald, Ciara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytic autoethnography; COVID-19; Medical device procurement; Mindful organising; Organisational mindfulness
• ISSN: 1478-4092; 1873-6505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pursup.2024.100940

An unprecedented spike in the demand for ventilators during the first wave of the COVID-19 caused significant disruption to the global supply and demand chain of medical devices. The characteristics of the disruption forced the Irish national health service to deviate from an established purchasing process as it pursued its objective of securing the delivery of ventilators for its ICUs. Utilising analytical autoethnography, this study presents a narrative account of the lead author's experiences (as a clinical procurement director) during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis, with the objective of analysing the improvised resilient response of the medical device procurement function of the national health service. Incorporating process analysis to shape the narrative, four process deviations are identified and analysed using organisational mindfulness. The study provides a rich insight for practitioners and researchers into the realities of crisis response, with specific contributions to the field of resilience implementation through organisational mindfulness. •The findings present an analytical and heterogeneous depiction of the crisis context that embodies the situated complexity of sourcing ventilators during the first wave of COVID-19 in Ireland.•Contributing from a methodological aspect the study provides an insight into implementing analytical autoethnographic research.•From an analytical perspective the study included process analysis to shape the narrative and enhance its richness in detailing the crisis response.•This study provides practitioners with a rich depiction of mindfulness in action, which promoted a type of resilient response that simultaneously evolved with the crisis. This depiction highlighted the locus of mindfulness at organisational, team, and individual levels.