Improving the efficiency of an emergency department by managing bottleneck capacities
by Tarek Al-Hawari; Omar Al-Araidah; Malak Mithkal; Alaa Khanfar; Ahmad Mumani
International Journal of Modelling in Operations Management (IJMOM), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2013

Abstract: The paper presents improvement efforts applied at an emergency department using theory of constraints. The study aimed to reduce the length of stay of patients and enhance staff satisfaction through the better management of department resources' capacities. Thorough investigation of the system showed that improper work schedules and unbalanced flow contribute largely to patients' delay. Results obtained from applying suggested improvements led to over 30% reduction in patients' length of stay in the emergency department. Results also showed significant reduction in mean service times at the various stages ranging between 8% and 65%. Moreover, results show reduction in variability and higher probability in being closer to set standards.

Online publication date: Wed, 29-Jan-2014

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Modelling in Operations Management (IJMOM):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com