FOR WHOM DO WE TOIL?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Hospital Operations
• Resource Allocation

Background:

• Hospitals face continuous demand for services from various patient demographics.
• Understanding workload distribution is crucial for efficient healthcare delivery.
• The utilization of resources by different patient groups requires careful examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the indoor workload of a zonal service hospital over a one-month period.
• To identify the primary contributors to the hospital's workload.
• To assess resource utilization patterns among different patient categories.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of hospital admission and resource utilization data.
• Categorization of patients into service personnel, their dependents, and ex-servicemen with dependents.
• Calculation of average length of stay and resource consumption per patient category.

Main Results:

• Service personnel and their dependents constituted the majority of the hospital workload.
• Ex-servicemen and their dependents, though fewer in number, incurred significantly higher resource expenditure.
• The average length of hospital stay was 15 days, indicating a relatively rapid patient turnover.

Conclusions:

• Hospital resources are utilized efficiently, as evidenced by the rapid patient turnover.
• Significant cost savings can be achieved by optimizing resource allocation.
• Reducing admissions for administrative purposes presents a key opportunity for resource optimization.