Utilising spatial technology for hospital bed management

Abstract

This research utilised existing spatial geographic information system (GIS) technology to develop a data management system that was beneficial to health care practitioners and organisations. The research focused primarily on a public hospital environment by addressing the complexity of patient flow and/or patient allocation to a hospital bed and to provide an understanding of how to better manage the needs for future demands. Current management systems are not fully integrated and do not have the capacity, or the development capability, to readily address current management deficiencies. Hospitals across the country are struggling to deal with issues such as access block, availability of beds and staff shortages. A practical bed allocation management system tool, or eBeds, was developed as a prototype within the hospital environment to provide a patient management system that meets the protocols required by the health industry. It assists health care professionals to make informed and more accurate decisions for patient allocation to beds and provides further economical and beneficial patient care than current systems. The prototype also addressed the hospital management, community expectations and provides a flexible and dynamic advancement for the health industry. The application can also be expanded for future potential changes and will be discussed within this research (refer to Chapter 6). The outcome of this research has demonstrated the beneficial role of GIS within the health care industry by providing efficient and effective decision-making tool to an existing organisation that is struggling to meet the demands of community