Tactical capacity planning under uncertainty - a capacity limitation analysis

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Operations Research
• Hospital Administration

Background:

• Tactical capacity planning is vital for hospitals facing patient demand fluctuations, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Effective planning hinges on a clear understanding of hospital capacity limitations, which remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the nature of capacity limitations within a hospital setting.
• To provide insights for enhancing tactical capacity planning in tertiary public hospitals.

Main Methods:

• A detailed analysis of capacity limitations was conducted at a Norwegian tertiary public hospital.
• Twenty-two in-depth interviews were performed with individuals involved in pandemic-related capacity planning and decision-making.
• Data were categorized, and correspondence analysis was employed to identify patterns.

Main Results:

• Personnel and information emerged as the most frequently cited capacity limitations.
• Middle management and specialized treatment functions reported the highest exposure to these limitations.
• Capacity limitations were found to be dynamic, differing across hierarchical levels and organizational functions.

Conclusions:

• Tactical capacity planning should consider dynamic, interdisciplinary patient pathways and variations across functions and levels.
• Operations managers should prioritize intra-organizational information flows to improve hospital agility.
• This study offers novel insights into hospital capacity limitations, valuable for enhancing tactical planning.