We know the challenges facing healthcare facilities when it comes to the handling of patients’ needs. Sometimes people spent most of their time queuing to receive a treatment that could be treated in minutes. Patients who are seen quickly by physicians are likely to give better outcomes compared to patients waiting for an extended period to see a medical practitioner. I experienced this problem while visiting Auckland hospital, where I had to take approximately three hours to see a physician. Many hospitals face these challenges as a result of a mismatch between supply and demand for healthcare services. The condition worsens in case of emergency treatment. Patients wait for an extended period that leads to deterioration in the state that needs to be treated. Every second is crucial for patients with problems such as heart attacks and strokes because it counts to the survival of the victim.
Before coming up with a solution, we need to explore the possible causes of this problem. A practical approach for understanding the cause of the problem is the analysis of the resources such as personnel and life-supporting machines present in healthcare facilities. The underlying cause of a long time wait in healthcare facilities is the mismatch between demand and supply for healthcare facilities. Hospitals and healthcare centers have less personnel and facilities for handling the needs of patients. The IOM indicates that healthcare centers should take a chance for operating like other industries in the private sectors to reduce the wait time (White, 2015). The care and reimbursement system appears to be complicated, making it difficult for allocative resource efficiency. Financial and geographical barriers in some areas create differences in offering treatment to patients. I want to invest in technology and increasing accessibility in resources needed in handling the needs of the patients.
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A mismatch between demand and supply in healthcare centers is the leading cause for waiting time. This problem can be solved through a corporation of various strategies needed in improving the quality of services offered to patients. The problem-solving approach applied in handling the challenges facing patients needs to be in a position to increase accessibility to healthcare facilities. Cut down on waiting requires multiple strategies required in ensuring that people receive information capable for reducing wait time (Wagenaar et al., 2016). The first approach should be taking Revamp the front-line scheduling process intending to match demand and supply. Scheduling surgeries and other non-threatening procedures have been put in place to minimize the number of patients seeking treatment at a particular date.
Scheduling approach has focused on patients but not providers. In effect, hospitals have been trying to reach the community to identify the kind of changes that would best fit patients’ needs. Some hospitals have applied technology in offering patients an opportunity for making ED appointments for issues that are less critical. The systems have been able to minimize wait time because healthcare providers remain prepared in advance for the number of cases they are likely to address in a particular date. Healthcare providers give patients with an appropriate waiting time through the phone because they arrive in the healthcare center, thus making other arrangements if possible.
I do believe that the strategies applied in handling the problem experienced in healthcare centers. It assures the reduction of patients’ waiting in hospitals centers. I think that the problem has been solved and there is less presence of long queues in hospitals. Advanced technology has reduced some of the waiting time that patients spend in hospital centers as people have an opportunity for booking for minor surgeries.
I would divine other strategies for solving the problem in situations where it reoccurs. I would pay more attention to increasing facilities and personnel in hospitals to address the different types of diseases in the community. For instance, hospitals may be in a position to partner with nearby clinics to address minor issues facing patients. Hospitals need to ensure that reducing wait times becomes part of the hospital’s culture (Thornton et al., 2017). In effect, there is a need for an increasing amount of funds allocated for improving healthcare services in an organization. Staffing policies need to be strengthened in hospitals accompanied by the purchase of medical facilities necessary in addressing the needs of patients in the community. The investments should ensure that hospitals speed up service delivery systems such as automated systems and streamlined scheduling. The process can be improved by an approach designed to increase the presence of facilities for addressing healthcare challenges.
The solution wait time in healthcare system reveals the challenges facing healthcare systems in many regions. Proper treatment requires the state and local government to remain in attach with healthcare providers to allocate resources needed in improving the service delivery system. The problem-solving approaches applied in addressing this challenge minimize the presence of patients in health centers while the problem remains unsolved. For instance, scheduling for non-complicated conditions of patients reduces the physical appearance of patients in hospitals, and the issues continue unsolved. In effect, resource allocation and staffing approaches should be put in place. Increasing the number of healthcare providers need to be accompanied by the presence of other facilities such as drugs, beds, and health checking machines. This approach ensures that intervention strategies address the healthcare needs of patients rather than postponing the service delivery system.
References
Thornton, R. D., Nurse, N., Snavely, L., Hackett-Zahler, S., Frank, K., & DiTomasso, R. A. (2017). Influences on patient satisfaction in healthcare centers: a semi-quantitative study over 5 years. BMC health services research, 17(1), 361.
Wagenaar, B. H., Gimbel, S., Hoek, R., Pfeiffer, J., Michel, C., Cuembelo, F., ... & Micek, M. A. (2016). Wait and consult times for primary healthcare services in central Mozambique: a time-motion study. Global health action, 9(1), 31980.
White J., (2015). “4 keys to reducing patient wait times,” Healthcare Business and Technology. Retrieved from: https://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com/reduce-patient-wait-times/
