Data-driven Improvement of Work-Flows at the Karolinska University Hospital

Objective
The project aims to develop a model-based decision-making tool for planning, designing and improving patient flows at the Karolinska University Hospital. The tool will include a prediction model, integrating clinical data, production data, and expert knowledge of the patient flows through the emergency department and the hospital. In addition, a network-based simulation model will be integrated to facilitate capacity and resource planning to improve patient care, decisions on handling and resource utilisation.

Background
Hospital emergency departments play a central role in healthcare systems and patient flow logistics throughout the system. Delivery of emergency care is resource and knowledge-intensive and requires close alignment with all other hospital functions and departments. Emergency healthcare is a complex system with high variability in patient characteristics, disease profile, processes and outcomes. This is a challenge for change work aimed at improving efficiency.

Little or no work has combined clinical and production data into process models to inform healthcare planning. Current models treat the emergency department as an independent leverage point without considering downstream bottlenecks in hospital wards. Overcoming these methodological limitations is important for informing hospital resource planning.

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The project partners are Karolinska University Hospital, Region Stockholm, and KTH.

Watch the recorded presentation at the Digitalize in Stockholm 2023 event: