Healthcare engineering for an efficient medical care system
by PohWah Khong, Dhanjoo Ghista
International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management (IJHTM), Vol. 7, No. 5, 2006

Abstract: Rising costs and increasing expectations from patients (consumers) have caused healthcare planners to seek ways to improve efficiency, while striking a balance with the quality of services offered. This study explores how the integrated emerging technologies can play a valuable role in cost-effective medical and healthcare delivery by means of e-data computer simulation of clinical units, borderless data (such as intelligent patient medical records), engineering e-processes and systems analysis of primary-to-tertiary care systems. Incorporation of costly medical technologies into healthcare delivery is supposed to make: medical diagnosis more timely and reliable; treatment more efficacious; the delivery system more cost-effective. However, this can only happen if: all the components of the healthcare delivery system are analysed as a chain system without duplication of services; and the submits of each of these components are also operating as a multi-compartmental system with feedback loops tying them into one integrated regulatory system, having the objectives of optimal patient care with streamlined operations. Finally, a virtual diagnostic clinic is constructed by means of a system dynamics approach to illustrate these concepts.

Online publication date: Tue, 20-Dec-2005

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