Choose a relevant healthcare quality issue, such as patient wait times, medication errors, or infection control.
Create a visual map identifying key factors influencing your selected quality issue. Use shapes representing each factor and arrows to illustrate their interconnections and relationships.
Indicate any feedback loops where changes in one factor may influence another.
Reflection: Write a brief reflection (150 words) discussing how systems thinking changed your understanding of the quality issue and the insights gained from this exercise.
Patient No-Shows/Late Arrivals ➡️ Disrupts the schedule and creates gaps or further delays for others.
Complex Patient Cases ➡️ Patients with multiple issues require more time, which can extend wait times for subsequent appointments.
Interconnections and Relationships
Inefficient Patient Scheduling ➡️ (Feedback Loop) An increase in wait times can lead to Patient No-Shows/Late Arrivals, as patients become frustrated, which in turn further disrupts scheduling efficiency.
Inadequate Staffing Levels ➡️ Exacerbates the impact of High Patient Volume, as there aren't enough people to handle the workload.
Lack of Standardized Triage Process ➡️ Contributes to Ineffective Communication between staff members trying to figure out who to see next.
Complex Patient Cases ➡️ Puts additional strain on Inadequate Staffing Levels and requires more time than allocated by Inefficient Patient Scheduling.
Sample Answer
Healthcare Quality Issue: High Patient Wait Times in an Outpatient Clinic
This visual map illustrates the key factors contributing to and influenced by high patient wait times in a typical outpatient clinic. The arrows show the relationships and interconnections between these factors, highlighting the systemic nature of the problem.
Key Factors Influencing Wait Times
Inadequate Staffing Levels ➡️ Leads to bottlenecks in patient processing and care delivery.
Inefficient Patient Scheduling ➡️ Inappropriate appointment lengths or overbooking can lead to backlogs.
Lack of Standardized Triage Process ➡️ Without a clear system, urgent and non-urgent cases are not prioritized effectively.
Ineffective Communication ➡️ Between front desk, clinical staff, and patients, leading to delays and confusion.
High Patient Volume ➡️ A sheer number of patients can overwhelm existing resources.