University of Twente Student Theses
Matching capacity and demand : an analysis of the planning issues at the gynecology clinic at Medisch Spectrum Twente
Kobes, H.E. (2012) Matching capacity and demand : an analysis of the planning issues at the gynecology clinic at Medisch Spectrum Twente.
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| Abstract: | This research started in response to the problem of not reaching the agreed production volume within the gynecology department of the hospital ‘Medisch Spectrum Twente’ in the Netherlands. After analysis of this problem, the aim of the research became to find a solution on a better match between capacity and demand to improve the tactical planning of resources. The idea was to use information on the patient flow in clinical pathways to determine the expected demand for the future. In MST there are different consultation hours per subspecialty. The planning of the capacity of physicians is performed by one employee in charge of the planning. The planner allocates the physicians to several tasks without basing decisions on historical data. Historical data on demand for uncomplicated pregnancy care learns that demand fluctuates over the months of the year. A model for the forecast of demand should account for these fluctuations. The clinical pathway serves as the basis for the research giving information on the capacity needed per phase and the flow from patients through the care process. In this research a model is designed based on the clinical pathway for uncomplicated pregnancies. The model needs to forecast the number of needed control patient slots and new patient slots for a certain week. The number of CP slots is based on the number of slots in the week before. The number of NP slots is either based on a forecast or on the actual number of new patients. The model is built in Excel which resulted in a planning tool giving the needed NP and CP slots for the coming period. Verification of the tool shows that the tool is functioning properly. The outcomes of the model were validated by comparing the output of the tool to the actual number of CP slots and NP slots needed in two weeks. The outcomes of the model are not as good as desired. The outcomes can become more accurate since it is possible to enter actual data from former weeks in the planning tool. With entering that data as a precondition we expect the planning tool to be very useful to obtain a better match between capacity and demand. The gynecology department is recommended to do a pilot with the planning tool. After the pilot they will be able to make adjustments to either the tool or the process to optimize use of the model. The developed model makes a forecast on demand possible. More insight in demand for just one sub specialism makes it possible for the planner to decide on the allocation of capacity to other sub specialism’s. Therewith the planner and physicians are able to make decisions on the delivering of care in the near future. This can be an instrument to manage the volume of EPB’s and therewith reaching the agreed production will be easier. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | Health Sciences MSc (66851) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/62319 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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