Beena Shaji
Apr 11, 2024, 6:35 PM
Submitted
Hello, Sir and Class
Capacity planni
Beena Shaji
Apr 11, 2024, 6:35 PM
Submitted
Hello, Sir and Class
Capacity planning is of critical importance to the operations of a hospital due to the influence it has on the management of resources as well as the quality of care that is provided. To effectively manage capacity, a hospital needs to consider patient flow (Burdett et al., 2022). The patient flow is mainly determined by local demand. High demand means high capacity is required, which means more investment in facilities and staff. The resources available must match the flow of patients if the hospital is to maintain a favorable reputation as a reliable healthcare institution.
It is also essential to consider the staffing needs of the institution. As service organizations, customers interact directly with staff, who need to be enough in number if delays in service delivery are to be avoided (McCabe et al., 2020). Staff in a hospital includes doctors, nurses, and administrative staff, all of whom play different roles in day-to-day operations. Staff in all three categories must be in optimal numbers to provide high-quality care without being overworked. It is also essential for the organization to ensure it is not overstaffed if operating costs are to be efficiently managed.
A healthcare institution must also consider the need for specialized equipment and information systems necessary in day-to-day operations. Certain types of equipment and information systems play a crucial role in determining the quality of service that can be provided. The resources available will determine the type of equipment that can be included in operations and the type of services that are expected to be in high demand.
A factory’s capacity considerations are bound to be different because it doesn’t deal directly with customers. Therefore, the main considerations that need to be made are market demand and capital requirements.
References
Burdett, R. L., Spratt, B., Tariverdi, M., Cook, D., Yarlagadda, P. K., & Corry, P. (2022, April). An overview of hospital capacity planning and optimization. In Healthcare (Vol. 10, No. 5, p. 826). MDPI.
McCabe, R., Schmit, N., Christen, P., D’Aeth, J. C., Løchen, A., Rizmie, D., … & Hauck, K. (2020). They are adapting hospital capacity to meet changing demands during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Medicine, 18, 1-12.
REPLY
NENorine Eixenberger replied to Beena Shaji Apr 15, 2024, 4:57 PMUnreadThank you Beena. It is difficult to determine capacity needed for a hospital. You can always use historical data, but it can be difficult to predict mother nature or other disasters that would impact the number of patients needing hospitalization. Here in Arizona. all voluntary surgeries were suspended during the pandemic to allow beds for COVID patients. What are some other ways a hospital could free up capacity during an emergency?