A Model for Controlling the Patient Care Process - the Challenges and Opportunities of Electronization (Track 1, Session 11)
Author(s) :
Katja Klemola (Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland)
Tanja Kaarna (Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland)
Ritva Kauppinen (South Karelia Hospital District, Finland)
Timo K�rri (Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland)
Abstract : Hospitals are in a great pressure between cost savings and a growing need for patient care. This pressure makes it essential to measure, follow up and develop the processes in order to make them more efficient. This kind of development requires new managerial tools and also new ways of storing the data in hospitals. Electronization of patient care data would make the patient care more efficient and rise its quality. With electronization the patients� security could improve, the information would be more real-time, the care process could be shortened, the number of overlapping activities would decrease and the activities would become more efficient, which would mean more patients with less costs. The problems related to the electronization include resistance to change and also concern about data security. This study evaluates the opportunities and challenges of electronization in hospitals from the managerial point of view. These opportunities and challenges rise from developing a model for measuring the costs, quality and time of the patient care process in one case hospital. If benefits from managerial innovations are to be achieved, electronization of hospitals databases is required. The information systems used in health care are not designed to produce information for controlling the performed activities. The information included in the systems is hard to get and also often defective. The future challenge is to create a system which enables diverse information collection and handling across organizations. The model introduced in this study can be a part of this kind of information system, or the model can get the information directly from this kind of patient database. Modelling, collecting the information and using the information in managing the operations can lead the health care sector towards better process management.

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