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The Advantages of Patient Flow

Hospitals tend to experience variations in the use of their resources, as the number of patients going through the system varies from day to day. Thus, a hospital could end up allocating resources based on maximum usage patterns, whereas actual need for resources could be lower. Among the advantages of patient flow technology is that it helps manage the flow of patients through a hospital so that a hospital makes better use of its resources.

  1. Improve Throughput

    • Patient flow tools help hospitals move patients more quickly through the system. This way, they can increase the number of patients they admit without having to invest in more resources such as hospital beds. Patient flow technologies enable caregivers to track patients and provide information about aspects such as lab notifications. This helps caregivers manage the patients' hospital stays in a smooth manner and get them through the system faster.

    Better Use of Resources

    • A hospital also makes better use of its resources with the help of patient flow tools. For instance, Radio Frequency Identification technology helps caregivers locate resources such as wheelchairs. This helps make for better use of such hospital resources by making them available at the right time and location. Hospitals are more likely to use RFID tools to track resources than to track patients.

    Better Time Management

    • Hospital personnel are busy people, and patient flow tools help make for better use of their time. Nurses save time by being able to quickly locate resources and by gaining access to information. Doctors save the time they would have spent finding information that patient flow tools make readily available. Even administrative personnel save time, at the time of patient registration.

    Indirect Benefits

    • Hospitals also gain some indirect benefits as a result of using patient flow tools. The tools generate reports that make for a higher level of accountability. The better recordkeeping that results could reduce any potential liability for the hospital. The safety of patients going through the hospital system increases and they tend to be more satisfied with their hospital stay.

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