Modelling a radiology department service using a VDL integrated approach.

PURPOSE The healthcare industry is facing several challenges such as the reduction of costs and quality improvement of the provided services. Engineering studies could be very useful in supporting organizational and management processes. Healthcare service efficiency depends on a strong collaboration between clinical and engineering experts, especially when it comes to analyzing the system and its constraints in detail and subsequently, when it comes to deciding on the reengineering of some key activities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a case study showing how a mix of representation tools allow a manager of a radiology department to solve some human and technological resource re-organizational issues, which have to be faced due to the introduction of a new technology and a new portfolio of services. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH In order to simulate the activities within the radiology department and examine the relationship between human and technological resources, different visual diagrammatic language (VDL) techniques have been implemented to get knowledge about the heterogeneous factors related to the healthcare service delivery. In particular, flow charts, IDEFO diagrams and Petri nets have been integrated each other with success as a modelisation tools. FINDINGS The simulation study performed through the application of the aforementioned VDL techniques suggests the opportunity of re-organizing the nurse activities within the radiology department. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The re-organization of a healthcare service and in particular of a radiology department by means of joint flow charts, IDEF0 diagrams and Petri nets is a poorly investigated topic in literature. This paper demonstrates how flow charts and IDEF0 can help people working within the department to understand the weak points of their organization and constitute an efficient base of knowledge for the implementation of a Petri net aimed at improving the departmental performance.

[1]  Pascal Staccini,et al.  Modelling health care processes for eliciting user requirements: a way to link a quality paradigm and clinical information system design , 2001, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[2]  Osman Balci,et al.  Modeling and analyzing a physician clinic environment using discrete-event (visual) simulation , 2001, Comput. Oper. Res..

[3]  Benjamin Yen,et al.  A generic model and design representation technique of service products , 2002 .

[4]  J. Vibert,et al.  SHARE: a tool to analyze and assess strategies in health care organization management. , 1998, Computers and biomedical research, an international journal.

[5]  Silvana Quaglini,et al.  Guideline-based careflow systems , 2000, Artif. Intell. Medicine.

[6]  Pablo R Ros,et al.  Clinical operations management in radiology. , 2004, Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR.

[7]  S. Jacobson,et al.  Evaluating the Design of a Family Practice Healthcare Clinic Using Discrete-Event Simulation , 2002, Health care management science.

[8]  Giovanni Celano,et al.  Activity simulation within a radiology department with limited nurse resources , 2006 .

[9]  Alain Guinet,et al.  Some user friendly models to support head-nurses management activities , 2005 .

[10]  Syi Su,et al.  Modeling an emergency medical services system using computer simulation , 2003, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[11]  Toomas Timpka,et al.  A model for interpreting work and information management in process-oriented healthcare organisations , 2003, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[12]  V Carignani,et al.  Management of change in health care organisations and human resource role. , 2000, European journal of radiology.

[13]  Mike Criswell,et al.  Emergency Department Divert Avoidance Using Petri Nets , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on System of Systems Engineering.

[14]  Chon-Huat Goh,et al.  SERVICE TYPOLOGIES: A STATE OF THE ART SURVEY , 1999 .

[15]  Linda Ann Riley.  Applied simulation as a decision support system tool: the design of a new internal medicine facility , 1999, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. 1999. HICSS-32. Abstracts and CD-ROM of Full Papers.

[16]  Terry Young,et al.  An Agenda for Healthcare and Information Simulation , 2005, Health care management science.

[17]  Pascal Staccini,et al.  Mapping care processes within a hospital: from theory to a web-based proposal merging enterprise modelling and ISO normative principles , 2005, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[18]  H. M. Wagner.  Principles of Management Science, With Applications to Executive Decisions , 1975 .