Using project management methodology to plan and track inpatient care

Effective care of each patient throughout a hospital admission involves executing a specific set of tasks to produce a favorable outcome within an appropriate time frame. The ProjectRounds methodology, which can be implemented using widely available software, incorporates the principles of project management in planning and control hospital inpatient care. It consists of four stages--clinical assessment, planning, scheduling, and tracking. OVERVIEW OF PROJECTROUNDS AND EXAMPLE: As an example, a 68-year-old-man is admitted with pneumonia. In clinical assessment, the admitting physician uses an assessment tool that prompts her to list all the patient's clinical issues, define the conditions that need to be met to discharge the patient, highlight special problems, and list any consultations, diagnostic tests, and procedures that are planned. In planning, the work breakdown structure--a tabulation of all the tasks in the "project" (the admission)--is created. In scheduling, a project schedule is generated, and in tracking, the clinical team evaluates and monitors the project's course. During interdisciplinary clinical rounds, the progress of the patient's hospital care can be tracked and quantified by employing the percent complete method. Tracking can be used as a "dashboard," providing a concise summary of the care that needs to be and has been rendered to the patient.

Applying the tenets of project management can optimize the process of providing health care to hospital inpatients.