Efficient Resource Utilization in the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital Emergency Room
Abstract
Prolonged waiting time in medical settings causes dissatisfaction with care and low compliance with provider recommendations and acts as a barrier to access. Delays in receiving emergency care may lead to the deterioration of severely ill patients. To minimize the amount of time patients wait to receive care in the Emergency Room (ER) and the length of their overall stay, hospital administrators must ensure the adequate supply and efficient use of ER resources. This management project looks at the amount of time patients spend for an ER visit at the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital (BJACH) given the current level of physician, nurse, paraprofessional, and bed resources. Information about patient care activities was obtained from randomly selected medical records and by conducting a time-in-motion (TIM) study of the BJACH ER. A turnaround time study was also performed on the Departments of Pathology and Radiology to examine the effects of these ancillary services on ER patient's visit. Information about the resource level and from the TIM and turnaround studies were used to construct a computer simulation model of the BJACH ER. The number of physicians, nurses, paraprofessionals and beds were varied to analyze their effects on ER patients' visit times.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA226550
Entities
People
- Frederick A. Swiderski
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences