Abstract: Patient put through is an aspect that has to be well managed for hospitals to be able to deliver quality customer care, cost efficiency and improved patient satisfaction. This research outlines factors that disrupt patient flow; internal factors which comprise of limited number of beds, poor triage system among others; external factors comprise of demographic factors; changes of season; regulatory factors among others. The approaches used to address these challenges include the use of innovative models for triaging the patients, real time management of wards, and models of patient care. The focus is made on changes enabled by technology with indicating electronic records for patients, analytics, and artificial intelligence in regard to better hospital processes and the patients themselves. Real-life examples from urban and rural hospitals prove useful, featuring site-specific approaches, which stand between technical and cheaper solutions such as telemedicine, flexible staffing. Some of the emerging strategies include: While the various findings demonstrate that the short-term strategies, including improved discharge planning as well as fast-track systems, may produce more apparent advantages, it is lean management, as well as infrastructure improvements, that contribute to sustained, long-term gains. The study specifically demonstrates that discharge planning continues to be a significant issue that requires policy support aimed at reducing barriers to discharge organization and promoting the use of technology in care delivery. Subsequent studies must therefore seek to apply these innovations at large as well as increase efforts of supporting healthcare for rural and other organizations with limited resources. When formulated and integrated correctly, lean solutions help address bottlenecks and employ technology for improving patient flow, decreasing time spent on waiting lists, and increasing organizational stability. Thus, this research calls patient flow optimization as one of the foundational pillars of fair and sustainable healthcare systems and provides guidance to practice improvement administrators and heath care policymakers to design efficient patient flow systems that are also patient-centred.
Keywords: Wait Times, Triage Protocols, Healthcare Technology, Lean Management, Predictive Analytics, Collaborative Care etc.
Title: Optimizing Patient Flow in Hospitals: Strategies for Reducing Wait Times and Improving Resource Utilization
Author: Dipika Digdarshinee
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
Vol. 12, Issue 2, October 2024 - March 2025
Page No: 35-51
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 21-November-2024
