Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Jun 2024)
The Impact of Pandemic-Driven Care Redesign on Hospital Efficiency
Abstract
Mihajlo Jakovljevic,1– 3 Yuriy Timofeyev,4 Tatyana Zhuravleva5 1UNESCO-TWAS, The World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy; 2Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Global Health Economics and Policy, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia; 4Graduate School of Business, HSE University, Moscow, Russia; 5International Laboratory for Experimental and Behavioural Economics, HSE University, Moscow, RussiaCorrespondence: Yuriy Timofeyev, Graduate School of Business, HSE University, Shabolovka Ulitsa 26-28, Moscow, 119049, Russia, Email [email protected]: This study aims to identify medical care transformations during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess the economic efficiency of these care transformations.Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviewing and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases used in the search protocol included PubMed, RSCI, and Google Scholar.Results: Ten eligible studies in English and one publication in Russian were identified. In general, the following changes in organization of health care processes since 2020 are observed: hospital at home, telemedicine (physician-to-patient), and the adoption of new information communication technologies within physician-to-physician and physician-to-nurse communication. Earlier trends, such as (a) wider use of electronic devices, (b) adoption of Lean techniques, (c) the incorporation of patient and other customer experience feedback, and (d) the implementation of clinical decision support systems and automation of workflow, tend to be preserved.Conclusion: The most common changes in hospital care organization and the respective impacts of workflow changes (ie, workflow interventions, redesign, and transformations) on the efficiency of hospital care were summarized and avenues for future research and policy implications were discussed. The pandemic demonstrated a need for building more resilient and adaptive healthcare systems, enhancing crisis preparedness along with rapid and effective responses.Keywords: hospital care, care transformation, care redesign, workflow redesign, workflow improvements, efficiency
