Exploring the effect of complex patients on care delivery tasks
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 8 June 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The needs of complex patients with chronic conditions can be unpredictable and can strain resources. Exploring how tasks vary for different patients, particularly those with complex needs, can yield insights about designing better processes in healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to explore the tasks required to manage complex patients in an anticoagulation therapy context.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyzed interviews with 55 staff in six anticoagulation clinics using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) work system framework. The authors qualitatively described complex patients and their effects on care delivery.
Findings
Data analysis highlighted how identifying complex patients and their effect on tasks and organization, and the interactions between them was important. Managing complex patients required similar tasks as non-complex patients, but with greater frequency or more intensity and several additional tasks. After complex patients and associated patient interaction and care tasks were identified, a work system perspective was applied to explore how such tasks are integrated within clinics and the resulting implications for resource allocation.
Practical implications
The authors present a complex patient management framework to guide workflow design in specialty clinics, to better support high quality, effective, efficient and safe healthcare.
Originality/value
The complex patient framework presented here, based on the SEIPS framework, suggests a more formal and integrated analysis be completed to provide better support for appropriate resource allocation and care coordination.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by New England Veterans Engineering Resource Center and by grant VA-QUERI- RRP-10-054. Adam Rose is supported by a VA HSR&D Career Development Award (CDA-2-08-017).
Citation
Ozkaynak, M., Johnson, S.A., Tulu, B., Donovan, J.L., Kanaan, A.O. and Rose, A. (2015), "Exploring the effect of complex patients on care delivery tasks", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 494-509. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-11-2014-0105
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited