Assignment Exercise 14–4.1: Forecast Capacity Levels

Review the information in Exhibit 14–1. The exhibit assumes three chairs and one 40-hour RN, for a realistic capacity level of seven patients infused per day.

Required

Prepare another Infusion Center Capacity Level Forecast as follows:

Assume the same three infusion chairs, but add another nurse for either four or six hours per day. How would this change the daily capacity level for number of patients infused per day

Assignment Exercise 14 – 4.1 (p. 554) Forecast Capacity Levels

GHA 7 requires you to pick up a pencil and paper and get to work creating a schedule.  There is no easy way to do this — just keep shuffling the schedule (of patients and staff) until you maximize the number of patients seen within the restraints of the staffing hours and number of chairs explained in the assignment.  This is what it means to be a health care manager!

Unlike some of the other assignments that we have done that have required exact answers that are either correct or incorrect, this assignment has a variety of different answers that could be considered acceptable!  Think of it like a puzzle — Enjoy!

For this assignment, you may use Excel or Word to submit your work.

Exhibit 14–1 Capacity Level Checkpoints for an Outpatient Infusion Center

Outpatient Infusion Center Capacity Level Checkpoints

# infusion chairs ……………………………… 3 chairs

# staff……………………………………………… 1 RN

# weekly operating hours ……………….. 40 hours

# of hours per patient infusion ………….. average 2 hours (for purposes of this example)

Work Flow Description

For each infusion the nurse must perform the following steps (generalized for this purpose; actual protocol is more specific):

1. Obtain and review the patient’s chart
2. Obtain and prepare the appropriate drug for infusion
3. Interview the patient
4. Prepare the patient and commence the infusion
5. Monitor and record progress throughout the ongoing infusion
6. Observe the patient upon completion of the infusion
7. Complete charting

Work Flow Comments

It is impossible for one nurse to start patients’ infusions in all three chairs simultaneously. Thus the theoretical treatment sequence might be as follows:

• Assume one half-hour for patient number one’s Steps 1 through 4.
• Once patient number one is at Step 5, the nurse can begin the protocol for
• patient number two.
• Assume another one half-hour for patient number two’s Steps 1 through 4.
• Once patient number two is at Step 5, theoretically the nurse can begin the protocol for patient number three.

This sequence should work, assuming all factors work smoothly; that is, the appropriate drugs in the proper amounts are at hand, the patients show up on time, and no one patient demands an unusual amount of the nurse’s attention. (For example, a new patient will require more attention.)

Daily Infusion Center Capacity Level Assumption

Patient scheduling is never entirely smooth, and patient reactions during infusions are never predictable. Therefore, we realistically assume the following: Chair #1 = 3 patients per day, Chair #2 = 2 patients per day, and Chair #3 = 2 patients per day, for a daily total of 7 patients infused.