Top workflow design strategies for hospitals

Hospitals are required to document their processes and procedures, but these records are not often updated, according to clinicians,

One of the key areas where digital healthcare innovation management can make a difference is hospital workflow design and re-design, which involves optimizing how tasks are performed and coordinated among different staff members and departments.  

Here are some of the top ways to hospitals can solve and even problems using workflow design and re-design strategies: 

• Use decision-support algorithms to triage, admit, and discharge patients based on their clinical needs and predicted outcomes. 
• Incorporate health information technology (IT) into workflow assessment and redesign to identify gaps, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies in current processes. 
• Implement electronic health records (EHRs) and other digital systems that can streamline documentation, communication, and information sharing among providers. 
• Leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate routine tasks, such as scheduling appointments, ordering tests, or generating reports. 
• Adopt telehealth solutions that can enable remote consultation, monitoring, and follow-up with patients via chats and video calls. 

• Utilize smart devices and sensors that can collect real-time data on patient vital signs, location, movement, and behavior. 
• Apply analytics and data visualization tools that can provide insights into patient flow patterns, resource utilization rates, and performance indicators. 
• Engage patients in their own care by providing them with access to their health records, educational materials, and feedback mechanisms via digital platforms. 
• Foster a culture of innovation and collaboration among staff by involving them in workflow design and re-design processes and providing them with training and support for using new technologies. 
• Evaluate the impact of workflow design and re-design interventions on quality and safety outcomes and patient satisfaction by using rigorous methods and metrics. 

By adopting these approaches, hospitals can enhance their operational decisions, improve their service delivery, and ultimately provide better care for their patients. 

Building on extensive experience in the fields of journalism, media production, and learning design and development, John Marc Green’s newest adventure is serving as Director of CHIME Innovation. In this role, his ongoing conversations with CHIME Members and Partners provide insights and direction to serve their interests in a variety of ways, including digital healthcare innovation journalism, professional development events and program facilitation, and on-demand educational development through CHIME Innovation.