ABSTRACT
Over the years, allocation of patient to bed-space in hospital have been done manually which had been cumbersome, sluggish, and time consuming. This work is aimed at providing an easy method of allocating patients to bed-space in hospitals. From observation and interviews it had been noted that time and even lives has been lost using the manual system. Which now make it imperative for the introduction of the automated system of bed allocation. In this new system, the doctor order than sending patient’s file to the ward before allocation is done, allocates the patient night in his office to a bed.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
One of the major problems within a hospital environment is dealing with the bottleneck of patient allocation and the availability of beds (Ward 2004). Through increased public scrutiny there is also a greater degree of accountability required from health care professionals with regard to facilities management and information administration. Our hospitals are running at peak capacity which almost guarantees queuing in the emergency department for available beds and other critical inpatient services (Richardson 2003). Bed availability is significant as a bed can be viewed as “one of the most fundamental inputs in the provision of acute health care” (Walsh, 1998).
Queensland Health is currently managing major restructuring changes and resource difficulty within budget constraints. It also faces an increasingly higher level of demand from an ageing population, community health needs and emergency services. Substantial increases in the 2006 Federal Government Health budget acknowledge these resource shortages within the medical arena and the need for efficiencies. (Richardson, 2003).
Today, the bed compliment of hospital is of prime importance, since it provide for the presence of patience. Two important factors must be considered when investigating the problem and policies associated with hospital bed allocation system: the total number of beds and the manner in which the beds are allocated within the hospital. But in the case of this research, i will be looking at allocation of patients to bed using computer program .
In the years past, allocation of patients to bed in hospital had been done manually, such that one may wonder how to cope with the recent developments and increase of patients in the hospitals. Hence, there is need for change from manual system of allocation which is time consuming and labor intensive to a computerized system. Thus this prospect is aimed at finding system approach to computerized the bed allocation system so that data can be process able at high speed. ( Lapiere et al, 1999)
After examination by the doctor, the patient with similar health problem to be allocated are then grouped in the same physical area, continently to the facilities and services they require.
This grouping will also allow the hospital personnel to have special skills in performance with of their patient case function; and since the practice of medicine is subdivided in the same manner, the physician can decrease travel time between patients as his patients will be in one physical area. (Roger, Cochram, 1999).
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Hospital have been identified with the rise of allocation. In the city-state of Nigeria and south Africa etc, often cited as an example of pure democracy, Citizens of the country were allocated by the manual method. In the years past, allocation of beds to patient have been identified with the old system while doctors allocate their patient into the ward. (researcher, 2012).
In the middle age, sufferage was limited among the early hospital. In 1995, the National Department of Health (NDOH) established a National Committee to upgrade hospital(s) with the help of computer system in south Africa.
The committee was made up of members of different provinces. The objective of HBAS was to provide hospitals a computerized system of allocating patient for managers and health workers. The committee identified patient care and bed allocation systems as crucial for health care management in the country.
As a response to national strategy and in recognition of provincial need, in 1998 the Northern Province started to implement a hospital bed allocation system in its 42 hospitals. The decision to implement HBAS in this province coincided with the provincial need to restructure services from manual system to computerized system of operation, which involved shifting resources from tertiary and secondary care levels to the primary care level. Hospital Bed Allocation System (HBAS) was one of the restructuring strategies in the Northern province.
( Mbananga, 2002).
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This research work examines the manual system of bed allocation general practice be the general hospital, point out the short comings and cards in corrective measures by introducing the computerized system.
The manual system had always shown to be cumbersome, sluggish and time consuming. This manual method is prone to erasers which make it imperative for the adoption of a computerized method method in hospital bed allocation because it involves less human effort, it is efficient, reliable and transparent data are processed at very high speed.
In recent times, computers as it were has aid to resolve problem I manual system of documentation and hospital cannot be out of this, Even in allocation of bed to patients which is work of this research. It will help resolve the queue that is often encountered in the ward while patients wait for allocation. It will also upgrade the hospital from manual system of allocation to computerized system within the hospital. It upgrades health system management in general beyond care. ( Janice, 1999).
