Flow efficiency in the emergency department – solutions and implementation

This paper investigates flow efficiency in the production of care in emergency departments, process flow solutions and the factors that hinder the implementation of these solutions. Qualitative research, similar to a clinical methodology, is used to analyze the cases. Various process flow solutions were identified based on standardization of work routines, focused factory, multi-disciplinary teamwork, capacity planning, and patient flow visualization. The factors found to play a significant role in the implementation of process flow solutions include top-management leadership, physicians’ autonomy, existing knowledge paradigm, barriers to continuous improvement work and a multifaceted conception of the customer