The Problem of Capacity Management in Greek Public Hospitals
Abstract
One of the most important problems that the users of Greek National Health System face, is the long waiting lists. Αrather superficial explanationof this phenomenon is usually refer the increasing demand for healthcare services, ignoring that the problem is mainly a problem of capacity management, which is associated with the occupancy rate of specific wards of a hospital, and the average length of stay.
The theory of constraints can apply successfully to healthcare organizations, to solve problems of capacity management, reducing the inpatient length of stay and increasing the satisfaction from the offering services as has been proved by international research.
In this paper, we study the problem from this point of view. Our qualitative research revealed that there is a bottle-neck in the normal flow of patients, because of the delays in the imaging departments of the hospitals.
The increase of the capacity of the imaging departments would offer a feasible solution to the problem.
Keywords: theory of constraints, hospitals, efficiency, capacity
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