May 2010
Danish hospitals today function thanks to dedicated clinical staff who battle against outdated systems on a daily basis. Now, political demands require that patient flow must increase – existing hospitals must be expanded, and new ones built. Hospitals have also been given a mandate for annual efficiency improvements of two per cent – the benchmark is the number of patients treated in relation to costs.
By applying business methods to streamline logistics, hospitals can free up significant clinical resources for patient care. The new hospital plan provides an ideal opportunity to rethink structures so that the available resources are utilised in the best possible way.
However, it will not be possible to meet the requirements for increased patient flow by only optimising the reception and patient areas. The supporting service system, the logistics, must also be rethought. Optimal patient pathways require that clinical staff have time for the patient – and this can only happen if staff are not overwhelmed with secondary tasks, as is the case today. Langebæk has long been working to make planning project groups at hospitals aware of the importance of integrating logistics into the strategy to ensure efficient patient pathways.
Langebæk has carried out practical conceptual work with Cowi at Sygehus Lillebælt in Kolding. Based on this, we have set out a series of questions regarding logistics at each hospital, which are important to consider before finalising buildings and technology. To create the best possible flow, logistics must be integrated into the hospital’s architectural and procedural structure, taking into account the clinical work. This is ideally done from the start; Once the hospital’s main pathways are established, the logistics structure is largely set.
The conceptual work can be used as inspiration for project groups when developing plans for the expansion and streamlining of hospitals. The models range from very practical solutions, such as expanding existing hospitals, to extensive, automated logistics concepts that involve the entire supply chain at the hospital.
The work should always be based on a mapping of each hospital’s goods flow and requirements, so there is a foundation for understanding the current and future logistical challenges.
The starting point for evaluating a sustainable concept is a combination of a solid data foundation, thorough knowledge of logistics in general, and the involvement of users, i.e., clinical staff, porters, etc. Key figures should then form the basis for determining which processes should be automated and which should remain manual in the most effective way.
An optimal logistical service system is the key to meeting the politically set goals. The work must receive the necessary attention and be carried out by specialists in the field.