'Smart' Outpatient Department

Abstract

Today, the deregulated Dutch healthcare system, the changing demographics and the growing shortage of medical specialists is putting pressure on the entire hospital and its employees. Thus, improving the patient experience, medical specialist’s workflow and utilisation of space would enable hospitals to provide better care to its patients, while dealing with the deregulated healthcare sector, changing democraphics and pressures on the hospital and its staff. However, buildings today can perform better when being a ‘smart’ building and smart tools can help optimise buildings, by first measuring something about the building or something is requested from the user; This data is then used to achieve a goal.There are some studies about smart tools, but these studies are not focussed on integrating smart tools in the outpatient department. Therefor, the following research question has been developed: Which ‘smart’ optimisations of the outpatient department could improve patient experience, medical specialist’s workflow and utilisation of space? Qualitative research is conducted, whereby literature is reviewed in combination with comparative research of four different Dutch hospitals. Based on the case study, in total fourteen potential optimisations are distinguished in three different focus areas (from most desired to nice to have): (1) Workflow: Diagnostics, finding workplace, digital forms, finding colleague, information (EPD), self measuring / controlling, and e-consult. (2) Patient experience: Information provision, wayfinding, check-in, and senior service. (3) Utilisation of space: Space use, Maintenance / tracking of (medical) equipment, and cleaning. The focus of potential optimisations is mainly focused on functional objectives with supporting user activities, increase patients’ and employees’ satisfaction, and improving productivity. Therefor, the advice is to look at mutiple potential optimisations at the same time and try to come to an integrated solution. This will create new valuable insights, improve the performance of the individual optimisations and stimulates automation. And ultimately, improving the patient experience, the medical specialist’s workflow and the utilisation of space.