Volume : 6, Issue : 4, April - 2017

A COMPARATIVE TIME MOTION STUDY OF PATIENT DISCHARGE PROCESS IN A QUATERNARY HOSPITAL

Senu Thomas, N. Junior Sundresh, S. Kishore Kumar

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Introduction: Discharge time, a crucial quality indicator, is dependent on several other factors like clearance time and patient-related issues. The discharge process represents the final contact between the patient and the hospital health professionals, and the outcomes of all procedures undergone by the patient are recorded at this stage.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Aim: To observe and record the time needed for completion of discharge process for all types of discharges and to compare the average time taken for completion of discharge process for health insured and self payment patients.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Methods: The research was conducted in a 256 bedded Quaternary hospital in Chennai. The research was done by collecting the data from adult cardiac patients in the department of Ward, Billing and Insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Results: Time taken to complete discharge process: The overall discharge process took 677.67 minutes among self-payment and 793.27 minutes among health insurance. Overall time taken in discharge process: The highest time consumption was in the ward where it was 800 minutes for health insured patients and 690 minutes for self-payment patients.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Conclusion: Lengthy and in-efficient process of discharging in-patient from the hospital is an essential component that needs to be addressed in order to improve the quality of health care facility.<o:p></o:p></span></p>