HOSPITAL BED ALLOCATION SYSTEM (HBAS)

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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).

After examination by the doctor, the patients are sent to the nurse in the ward who will then search through them, records for available space before allocating the patient to the bed space. the patients often get to the ward, only to be informed  that there is no space in the bed ward, but if this is done electronically, the doctor will be able to till, the ward with space and know which to send to the patient to. Also, it will help in relieving the hospital personnel from serious and tedious work schedule because of urgency and the patients will get treatment on time. Based on this, a computerized system is needed in solving this problem. ( lapiere, 2002).

1.3    OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Relatively, all research work aim at finding out what strategies and instrument can be applied to extinguish the limitation of the former strategy. It is either carried out to substitute the former or to improve the already existing method to facilitate the optional exploration because of the strategy, increase the benefit of the strategy. In the course of this research, errors of this existing system will be appointed out and the researcher will suggest corrective measures where necessary. ( Abdullahi, 2004).

This research is aimed at designing and developing a computerized hospital bed allocation system. Therefore the presence of this computerized system will help to update file accurately.

Hence in summary, the object is

a.       To  design and develop a hospital bed allocation system.

b.       Using computerized system to collect data of each transactions                and to update file accurately.

c.       To design database that will keep track and store all important                          record in the hospital.

d.       To create allocation record that will view all the patient in the                            various wards.

1.4    SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The extent to be converted in this project is designing and development of computerized hospital bed allocation system, I shall limit the study to the general hospital because of such constrain as time and finance.

1.5    LIMITATION

A lot of setbacks were encountered in course of this project. There were A constraints in many areas like:

i)       FINANCE: The high cost of materials for the project and the          everyday constraint increase in transportation tax during data collection affected the research work.

ii)      DATA COLLECTION: The research work had a problem in                             collecting data from staff. However, I still remain indebted to                          the staff who generously contributed immensely making this                      project successful.

iii)     MATERIAL:  Material constrains play a major role in that limiting some research that would have contributed immensely.

1.6   STUDY METHODOLOGY

This is to inform the reader on the strategy employed by the researcher in charring out the research work and instrument used. In the case of this research work, I consulted the internet, books, personal interviews, and observation to the authentic information; I interviewed the chief nursing officer (c n o) of amazing grace hospital rumuodomaya who gave me detailed information needed regarding bed allocation in the hospital.

Consequently, the information on this project are reliable and from good sources. The  new system will be design using modular program ( researcher, 2012).

1.7    DEFINITION OF TERMS

ALLOCATION: to allot or assign something to somebody/something for purpose

HOSPITSL: a large building where people who are ill/sick or injured are given medical treatment and care.

WARD: a separate room or area in a hospital for people with the same medical condition.

NURSE: a person whose job is to take care of sick or injured person.

DOCTOR: a person who has been trained in medical science, whose job is to treat people who are ill or injured.

OBSERVATION: the act of watching something/somebody carefully for a period of time, especially to learn something.

INTERVIEW: meeting at which a reporter/researcher ask somebody question in other to find out his views.

SYSTEM DESIGN: the process at which the user (system requirement and specification) are partitioned into software and hardware.

HARDWARE: physical component that make up the computing system (ie everything that can be touched and seen).

SOFTWARE: these are set of instructions or command collectively called programs which direct or control the working and the behavior of the hardware.

INPUT: the source (raw material data) that has to be processed.

OUTPUT: the quality (information) that has been processed.

IMPLEMENTATION: this involves the writing of computer program  to meet up the need of designed system.

PROGRAM: this is the set of instruction written by the programmer in a particular programming language, which enable a particular process to be performed by the computer.

BED: A piece of furniture or iron that provides a place to sleep

ALGORITHM: A précised rule (or set of rules) specifying how to to solve some problems

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