Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations
A redesign of hospitals (i.e., partitioning departments and delegating decision authority) may be needed to deal with variable demand. Uncertain demands and throughput times often need short reaction times. In this study, we develop quantitative methods to guide a redesign through an information-pro...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/10/1447 |
| _version_ | 1797573911905304576 |
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| author | Windi Winasti Hubert Berden Frits van Merode |
| author_facet | Windi Winasti Hubert Berden Frits van Merode |
| author_sort | Windi Winasti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A redesign of hospitals (i.e., partitioning departments and delegating decision authority) may be needed to deal with variable demand. Uncertain demands and throughput times often need short reaction times. In this study, we develop quantitative methods to guide a redesign through an information-processing approach. To demonstrate how the methods can be used in practice, we tested them by applying them to a large perinatology care system in the Netherlands. We used the following two methods: 1. portfolio optimization and 2. efficient coordination of workload and reallocation of nurses. Our case study of a large perinatology care system showed that several designs of clustered units minimized the demand uncertainty in the perinatology care system. For the coordination strategy, the information and decision uncertainty is minimized when the decision power is positioned at the operation level and with the help of a centralized information system. When the operation decision-making power is not supplemented with the centralized and system-wide information system, hospitals can better use the hierarchy model, where the manager holds decision-making power with a system-wide overview. We also found that the speed of decision-making in real-time depends on the level of information aggregation set up by the system. We conclude that combining the correlation perspectives and the entropy theory is a way of quantifying how organizations can be (re)designed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:16:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-792c98dd3ede4b3098d49becac47e78d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:16:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-792c98dd3ede4b3098d49becac47e78d2023-11-19T16:25:02ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002023-10-012510144710.3390/e25101447Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital OperationsWindi Winasti0Hubert Berden1Frits van Merode2IQ Healthcare, Radboudumc, 6525 EP Nijmegen, The NetherlandsIQ Healthcare, Radboudumc, 6525 EP Nijmegen, The NetherlandsCare and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The NetherlandsA redesign of hospitals (i.e., partitioning departments and delegating decision authority) may be needed to deal with variable demand. Uncertain demands and throughput times often need short reaction times. In this study, we develop quantitative methods to guide a redesign through an information-processing approach. To demonstrate how the methods can be used in practice, we tested them by applying them to a large perinatology care system in the Netherlands. We used the following two methods: 1. portfolio optimization and 2. efficient coordination of workload and reallocation of nurses. Our case study of a large perinatology care system showed that several designs of clustered units minimized the demand uncertainty in the perinatology care system. For the coordination strategy, the information and decision uncertainty is minimized when the decision power is positioned at the operation level and with the help of a centralized information system. When the operation decision-making power is not supplemented with the centralized and system-wide information system, hospitals can better use the hierarchy model, where the manager holds decision-making power with a system-wide overview. We also found that the speed of decision-making in real-time depends on the level of information aggregation set up by the system. We conclude that combining the correlation perspectives and the entropy theory is a way of quantifying how organizations can be (re)designed.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/10/1447hospitalsorganizationinformation processingcoordinationnursesflexibility |
| spellingShingle | Windi Winasti Hubert Berden Frits van Merode Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations Entropy hospitals organization information processing coordination nurses flexibility |
| title | Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations |
| title_full | Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations |
| title_fullStr | Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations |
| title_short | Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations |
| title_sort | entropy optimization by redesigning organization in hospital operations |
| topic | hospitals organization information processing coordination nurses flexibility |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/10/1447 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT windiwinasti entropyoptimizationbyredesigningorganizationinhospitaloperations AT hubertberden entropyoptimizationbyredesigningorganizationinhospitaloperations AT fritsvanmerode entropyoptimizationbyredesigningorganizationinhospitaloperations |