A strategy commonly used in manufacturing and aviation offers the potential for better health care at lower cost, according to a recent report.
That strategy – systems engineering – is an interdisciplinary approach to designing and managing complex systems.
According to “Better Health Care and Lower Costs: Accelerating Improvement Through Systems Engineering,” a report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the key is the use of tools such as alerts and checklists that adjust for the human factor.
It’s worked in many industries. As one example of using systems engineering, U.S. commercial airlines have reduced fatalities significantly since the 1960s, with the risk of dying now one in 45 million flights. Similar gains have been seen in space stations, satellites, and education.
Now forward-thinking physicians are embracing systems engineering with the same level of devotion. Simply having doctors and nurses in an I.C.U. make their own checklists for what they thought should be done each day decreased the average length of stay by half.
According to the PCAST report, systems engineering, with an emphasis on high-quality data to assist health-care providers and measure progress, is the wave of the future in health care. Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help your practice.
