Time based management in health care system: The chosen aspects

摘要

Time-based management (TBM) is the key element of the whole management process. For many years in health care systems ofhighly developed countries modern and effective methods of time-based management have been implemented in both primaryhealth care and hospitals (emergency departments and operating rooms). Over the past two decades a systematic review of Polishliterature (since 1990) and peer reviewed articles published in international journals based on PubMed/Medline (2001–2011) havebeen carried out. The collected results indicate that the demographic and health changes in the populations are one of the mainchallenges facing general practitioners in the nearest future. Time-based management needs new and effective tools and skills,i.e., identification of priorities, well designed planning, delegation of the tasks, proper coordination, and creation of primary careteams that include additional members and human resources management. Proper reimbursement of health services, developmentof IT in health care system, better collection, storage, processing, analysis and exchange of information and research findingswill also be needed. The use of innovative technologies, like telemedicine consultations, provides the possibility of reducingwaiting time for diagnosis and treatment and in some cases could be applied in terms of secondary care. To improve the efficiencyof operating rooms it is necessary to introduce different solutions, such as operating room coordinator involvement, application ofautomation to guide decision-making or use of robotic tools to assist surgical procedures. Overcrowded emergency departmentshave a major detrimental effect on the quality of hospital functions, therefore, efforts should be made to reduce them. Time-basedmanagement training among physicians and health care management in Poland, as well as the implementation of practice-basedsolutions still applied in highly developed countries seem to be necessary. Med Pr 2014;65(4):555–566