This book is dedicated to improving healthcare through reducing the delays experienced by patients. One aspect of this goal is to improve the flow of patients, so that they do not experience unnecessary waits as they flow through a healthcare system. It is the first book treatment to have reduction in patient delay as its sole focus, and therefore it provides the foundation by which hospitals can implement change. Reflecting the highly interdisciplinary nature of this book, the chapters have been written by doctors, nurses, industrial engineers, system engineers and geographers. These perspectives provide the comprehensive view needed to address the problem of patient delay.

Zusammenfassung

Patient Flow: Reducing Delay in Healthcare Delivery is dedicated to improving healthcare through reducing the delays experienced by patients. One aspect of this goal is to improve the flow of patients, so that they do not experience unnecessary waits as they flow through a healthcare system. Another aspect is ensuring that services are closely synchronized with patterns of patient demand. Still another aspect is ensuring that ancillary services, such as housekeeping and transportation, are fully coordinate with direct patient care. It is the first book treatment to have reduction in patient delay as its sole focus, and therefore, provides the foundation by which hospitals can implement change. Reflecting the highly interdisciplinary and practitioner nature of this book, the chapters have been written by doctors, nurses, industrial engineers, system engineers and geographers, and thus, these perspectives provide the comprehensive view needed to address the problem of patient delay.

Inhalt
Modeling Patient Flows Through the Healthcare System.- Hospitals and Clinical Facilities, Processes and Design for Patient Flow.- Access to Surgery and Medical Consequences of Delays.- Breakthrough Demand-Capacity Management Strategies to Improve Hospital Flow, Safety, and Satisfaction.- Managing Patient Appointments in Primary Care.- Waiting Lists for Surgery.- Personnel Staffing and Scheduling.- Discrete-Event Simulation of Health Care Systems.- Forecasting Demand for Regional Healthcare.- Queueing Analysis in Healthcare.- Rapid Distribution of Medical Supplies.- Using a Diagnostic to Focus Hospital flow Improvement Strategies.- Continuum of Care Program.- A Logistics Approach for Hospital Process Improvements.- Managing a Patient Flow Improvement Project.