Why are we waiting? How poor information systems increase hospital queues

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the data delivery process in the neurology department of a large public hospital and consider whether information systems failure contributes to queuing in hospitals. This is a particularly important issue given the pressures worldwide on governments to provide funding to reduce hospital queues. What we find in this research is that, where data are lost or delayed in a system, queues for service increase. In systems where data are distributed manually or in a semi-automated fashion, a search for lost data can extend beyond one week. This can cause service queues to increase disproportionately to the time spent searching for the data and have a dramatic impact on all stakeholders in the hospital system.