Assignment – Engineering Management
Sector Selected – Indian Healthcare Sector
Roll No – 31
Embrace Technology and use it for benefit of patients
Telemedicine: It is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of
telecommunications technology. It can be very useful in country like India where according
to Knight Frank India there is a deficit of 2 billion sq. ft of healthcare space to cater to its
current population base of 1.42 billion and India's existing bed-to-population ratio is 1.3/1000
people in comparison to recommended ratio of 3/1000 people. So, there is still a need of 24
lakhs of bed for the ratio deficit of 1.7/1000 people getting completed. The major benefits of
telemedicine are
• It has the power to speed up the delivery of universal health coverage while
strengthening primary care.
• It offers the potential to get through enduring barriers to primary care in India, such as
a shortage of qualified medical professionals, issues with access, and the cost of in-
person care.
• It can also be the biggest solution for low doctor to patient ratio in India.
Electronic Health Records: Electronic Health Records is the digitized collection of patients
or populations' medical or health information. Implementing EHRs will have following
benefits like
• Offers a favourable environment for healthcare providers to enhance their
productivity & work-life balance.
• Medical data management becomes very easy
• Tests where result don’t change will be done once and stored data can provide
information where needed to improve coordination among healthcare providers
• It will simply help in reducing paperwork.
AI-powered tools: AI and healthcare is a holy combination which can bridge the doctor to
patient ratio in India. Following are the uses of AI in healthcare sector
• As the benefits of AI and ML technology are huge, it can lower the cost of healthcare
by providing the best treatments at the lowest possible cost.
• Utilize AI for tasks like medical image analysis, diagnosis support, and drug
discovery to free up healthcare professionals' time for patient care.
Roll No – 32
Optimizing workforce
Upskilling and training: To embrace technology and use it in health care sector it is
important to invest in continuous training programs for healthcare professionals to ensure
they stay updated on the latest advancements and best practices. It can be done by following
ways
• Extensive training programmes should be organized for doctors and nurses to learn
new technologies.
• There should be accountability of doctors and nurses over treatment with patients and
they should be trained accordingly.
• Various exchange programmes can also be organized by the governments to make
public as well as private sector employees to travel various places and learn new
technologies.
Reduce administrative burden: It is a very important thing to implement in India and can
be done by following ways
• Implement technology and streamline processes to decrease administrative tasks and
allow healthcare professionals to focus on patient care.
• A doctor or nurse should not be busy in taking account of patient name and his other
information, this process should be automated by using technology and AI.
• There focus should be on treatment of the patients not on the formalities related to it.
• Portals accessible to all healthcare facilities can be created for the same.
• Health Information Exchange (HIE) can be created.
Promote work-life balance: Work life balance is the talk of the town and it is one of the
most important debates of our times. It is very important that balance between one’s personal
time and professional time is maintained. Overworked person in healthcare sector is no less
than a hazard as anything can go wrong and life’s may be lost. Thus, it is very important to
foster a supportive work environment that prioritizes mental and physical well-being to
prevent burnout and retain skilled personnel. Work life balance and mental peace can be
achieved following ways
• Establish boundaries and make the communication easy between colleagues.
• Tasks should be prioritized for better time management.
• Realistic goals should be imagined making possibility of failure low.
• Breaks are very important and there should be some provided in this sector also.
Roll No – 33
Improve Operational Efficiency
Standardization of care pathways: Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) play critical role
in ensuring evidence based clinical practice and quality of care. Standard Treatment
Guidelines, also termed as clinical guidelines and clinical protocols are component of health
services provisioning to ensure evidence-based medicine and quality of care. The four major
steps of forming STG are
• Formalize i.e., form the group of experts, select the guideline topic and define the
scope and health questions.
• Explore to get the best guidelines
• Synthesize the guidelines giving them their final mould
• Translate i.e., make the document ready for external analysis and examination by
higher experts.
Supply chain management: Irresponsibility in the case of supply chain management
cannot be allowed as it can have very serious impact on the healthcare system. If
medicines don’t reach on correct time, it can cost lives. Thus, implementing efficient
procurement and inventory management systems to ensure timely availability of
medicines and medical supplies is a necessity. Supply chains can be optimized by some of
the following ways
• Optimizing the inventory and making the warehouses and storage facilities not
very far from the destinations.
• CPFR i.e., Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment must be
implemented.
• Technology can be integrated to improve risk management.
Performance monitoring and evaluation: Regularly track key performance indicators
to identify areas for improvement and measure the effectiveness of interventions.
Following are the ways of performance monitoring and evaluation
• Defining clear performance indicators is very important and reviewing them is
also very important.
• EHR system should be implemented to streamline data collection, storage, and
retrieval.
• Regular Internal Audits are also required to assess adherence to clinical protocols,
safety standards, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Roll No – 34
Investment and Funding should be increased
Public-private partnerships: Collaboration should be encouraged between the government,
private sector, and NGOs to leverage resources, expertise, and innovation for healthcare
improvement. Public-private partnerships will strengthen the Indian healthcare infrastructure
by following ways
• The experience and management expertise of the private sector in building and
running successful organizations can be crucial in revamping medical facilities to
build an efficient healthcare system.
• The private sector can bring in large funds to build best-in-class healthcare facilities
that benefit the masses. At the same time, the public sector can bring in the required
subsidies and accessibility.
• PPP uses a high volume, low margin strategy to achieve universal health coverage and
provide high-quality care at a reasonable cost. .
Focus on preventive care: Resources should be allocated to preventive healthcare initiatives
to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and improve overall population health. The ways of
focusing on preventive care are
• Implement public health education campaigns to raise awareness about the
importance of preventive care.
• Incorporate health education into school curriculum to instil healthy habits in children
from an early age.
• Conduct targeted immunization campaigns to ensure that individuals receive timely
vaccinations.
Invest in research and development: Support research and development efforts to find
innovative solutions for healthcare challenges specific to India's context. Following ways can
be used to increase investments
• Governments can provide grants and funding opportunities to research institutions,
universities, and healthcare organizations. Establishing dedicated funds for healthcare
R&D encourages scientists and researchers to pursue innovative projects.
• Offer tax incentives to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and other healthcare
organizations that invest significantly in R&D.
• Seek funding from philanthropic organizations and foundations that support
healthcare research.
• Provide seed funding to healthcare startups and early-stage companies.
Roll No – 35
Prioritize Patient-Centered Care
Empower patients: Provide patients with access to their medical records and educational
resources to actively participate in their healthcare decisions. Patients can be empowered by
following steps
• Implement health literacy programs to educate patients about their medical
conditions, treatment options, and how to navigate the healthcare system.
• Conduct patient satisfaction surveys to gather feedback on the patient experience. Use
the insights to identify areas for improvement and enhance the quality of care.
• Establish patient advisory councils or committees that include patients in decision-
making processes at the organizational level.
• Implement patient portals that provide secure online access to health information,
appointment scheduling, prescription renewals, and communication with healthcare
providers.
Focus on patient satisfaction: Regularly measure and incorporate patient feedback to
continuously improve the quality and experience of healthcare services. Patient satisfaction
can be measured by the feedbacks received which then can be used in following ways
• Identify areas for improvement in the quality of care by analysing patient feedback.
Insights from patients can highlight specific processes, procedures, or interactions that
may need refinement.
• Use patient feedback to understand their experiences during various touchpoints of
care, from scheduling appointments to receiving treatment.
• Use patient feedback to address concerns related to wait times for appointments,
diagnostic tests, or in the waiting area.
• Compare patient feedback data over time to evaluate trends and benchmark against
industry standards.
Improve communication: Ensure clear and open communication between healthcare
providers and patients to build trust and address concerns. Profit often prevents the proper
communication between patient family and healthcare providers which is not good. Proper
communication has following benefits
• Miscommunication can lead to errors in diagnosis, treatment, and medication
administration, putting patients at risk.
• Proper communication ensures that healthcare providers have a complete
understanding of a patient's medical history, current condition, and treatment
preferences.
• Effective communication builds trust between healthcare providers and patients.
• Patients are more likely to follow treatment plans and engage in their healthcare when
they feel heard, respected, and well-informed.
