Surgical Patient Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Surgical Patient Flow - Essay Example In this descriptive and qualitative study, the data was collected through timings taken in the hospital interviews with the staff by following an elective orthopaedic surgical patient, beginning with the decision to operate followed by the timing in which the surgery was carried out. The main findings were the absence of a system in existence as surgical patient flow management to follow-up the complete patient journey and to synchronize the surgical steps as well as co-ordinate the various pieces of patient information needed. There is duplicity in the system while transferring the patient from the clinic to the case manager, and also in the way of determining the surgical day, which can very easily result in a step being omitted. An Official Translator needs to be appointed in the Operation Theatre to avoid incorrect communication to emit and to maintain patient privacy. It was concluded that action needs to be taken to implement the surgical patient flow management, integrate all the system related surgical patient needs, and to educate the patient about the steps that needed to be done. This dissertation has required the time and patience of a number of people whom I needed to interview in order to collect my data, and to each one of you whom I wish to keep unnamed at this point in time. I am grateful for your timely contributions. It is important to note the following individuals who have been involved with this project: Dr. Zaid Al-Zaid, Chairman of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, who spent many hours patiently and good-humouredly explaining surgical patient flow at KFSH&RC. His role as a Surgeon in the clinic is integral to the training of students. His assistance in the area of decision-making as well as linking valuable professional connections is greatly