Hospital Capacity Management: Insights and Strategies

Hospital capacity management is optimizing a hospital's bed availability to provide enough capacity for efficient, error-free patient evaluation, treatment, and transfer to meet daily demand. Poor capacity management is a root cause of long wait times, overcrowding, higher error rates, poor communication, low satisfaction, and other commonly experienced problems. This book provides insights and strategies for improving hospital capacity management, focusing on the mission of the healthcare system to take care of patients.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 19 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Hospital capacity management is a critical aspect of the healthcare system that encompasses a range of key processes, procedures, and administrative realities. This comprehensive book delves into the intricate workings of these systems, exploring their origins, configurations, and potential improvements. Drawing from the authors' extensive experiences, published studies, and well-documented case studies, it provides a wealth of examples to illustrate and support arguments for change.

At the heart of hospital capacity management lies the fundamental objective of our healthcare system: to prioritize patient care. However, this mission has sometimes been overshadowed, leading to various issues discussed in the book, including inadequate capacity management.

Hospital capacity management plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of a hospital, impacting both the quality of care provided and its ability to sustain itself as an institution. Poor capacity management is a root cause of numerous problems commonly encountered, such as extended wait times, overcrowding, heightened error rates, inadequate communication, low patient satisfaction, and a host of other issues. It is of such significance that when executed effectively, it has the potential to transform an entire hospital system.

Hospital capacity management can be defined as the strategic optimization of a hospital's bed availability to ensure sufficient capacity for efficient, error-free patient evaluation, treatment, and transfer to meet the daily demand. A hospital that excels in capacity management is easily identifiable by its absence of lines of waiting patients and patients occupying hallways or chairs. These hospitals prioritize patient safety, maintain excellent records, and operate efficiently, ensuring a seamless and patient-centered experience.

By understanding the complexities of hospital capacity management, healthcare professionals and policymakers can work towards improving patient outcomes, reducing wait times, enhancing patient satisfaction, and ensuring the overall sustainability of the healthcare system. This book serves as a valuable resource for those seeking insights and strategies to optimize hospital capacity and enhance the quality of care provided.

Weight: 358g
Dimension: 152 x 227 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367708580