Executive Summary: Development of a Discharge Lounge for Discharged Patients at ABC

Healthcare

Purpose of the Project

ABC Healthcare is a leading facility in this township. Due to its popularity, the hospital is experiencing an influx of patients, many of whom require admission services. Some instances that warrant the attention of the management of this hospital, there has been experiences that warrant immediate admission of the patient failure to which the patient’s chances of survival critically diminish. This situation is worsened by the lack of sufficient admission beds that can cater for the critical patients who, in most cases, need stabilization before taking in any medication or medical procedures. 

Delaying of patients from taking up in-patient beds to facilitate their undertaking of medical procedures has multiple effects to ABC Healthcare. First, if a patient dies or develops permanent health conditions that could have prevented through swift action, the hospital, according to Knaak and Parzeller (2014) could get a barrage of legal suits which can potentially cripple operations due to heavy fines associated with such cases. Second, the image of the hospital to the public gets tainted and from a marketing perspective, this could mark the beginning of the end for the hospital. To a forward oriented mind, this is a catastrophe that needs mitigation measures before disaster strikes. 

The solution to this problem is a quick freeing up of in-patient beds faster to accommodate incoming transfers and admissions. To expedite a solution, there are two possible options. First, the hospital can expand its bed capacity, and second, the hospital can have a discharge lounge that patients who fit some given criteria can wait before they are taken home. The first option requires massive financial outlay as well as considerable implementation times. It is also a call for the hospital to add on its labor force to handle the extra ward. This option is not economically feasible. The second option involves the development of a waiting lounge that requires no specialized equipment. It requires comfortable seats and an entertainment system to keep the discharged patients waiting for ambulatory care or other means to take them home. 

Target Population

This proposal targets adult patients who have been discharged and are competent, alert, able to ambulate, stable, non-infectious, and not a fall risk. 

Benefits of the Project

This project is highly beneficial to this hospital. Not all patients are capable of leaving the hospital within the ninety-minute time frame allotted by the hospital. If allowed to continue staying in their beds, the discharged patients consume space that would otherwise be beneficial to some other patient who is critically in need of that bed. This forms the premise of the benefits of this project. To begin with, the project is capable of freeing up space in the in-patient beds section. As a result, there will be faster patient transfers and admissions. 

Besides the direct benefit of fastened patient transfer and admission, the other indirect benefits that the hospital will accrue is the reduction of exposure to legal risks as explained above. There will also be a reduction in the possibilities of attracting bad press or publicity due to the perceived negligence emanating from extended admission times or transfers. 

Budget Justification

The project involves renovating one of the unused halls in the hospital and converting it into a lounge. The cost breakdown is as follows. 

Item	Units	Unit Cost	Amount
Seats	20	$     100.00	$    2,000.00
Tables	4	$     200.00	$        800.00
Cupboards	5	$     300.00	$    1,500.00
TV	3	$     700.00	$    2,100.00
Music System	1	$     600.00	$        600.00
Flooring	1	$  2,000.00	$    2,000.00
Painting	1	$  3,000.00	$    3,000.00
Ceiling	1	$  2,500.00	$    2,500.00
Windows	4	$     500.00	$    2,000.00
Doors	2	$     600.00	$    1,200.00
Air Conditioner	1	$  2,500.00	$    2,500.00
		Total Cost	$  20,200.00

The discharge lounge will be a temporary waiting area where discharged patients will be held before their pick-up comes, be it an ambulance or a regular car. As such, they will need a safe room with simple entertainment amenities to keep them busy as they wait for whoever is supposed to pick them up. The floor and doors should be suitable for wheel chairs and easy access to a car or an ambulance. The room, should adhere to Nightingale Environmental Theory and as such, it should have sufficient light, well drained, organized and with fresh air as described by Blais & Hayes (2015). 

Basis of Project Evaluation 

According to Archibald, Di Filippo, and Di Filippo (2012) project evaluation should encompass two data sets, pre-project data, and post-project data. In this particular project, I will consider the admission numbers in both data sets, the waiting time that lapses before a transfer is recommended and when it is actually executed, time taken before an admission is recommended by the doctor and the time the patient is admitted. Further, the effect that the lounge is having on patient’s perspectives and perceptions of the hospital. Finally, the finances of the hospital will be evaluated on the basis of whether there is any significant positive change in revenues and costs. 

Request for Feedback

Kindly provide a feedback on the proposal by responding to the following two questions. 

1. Do you believe the proposal would be approved if formally proposed?
2. What are some strengths and weaknesses of the proposal?

References

Archibald, R. D., Di Filippo, I., & Di Filippo, D. (2012). The six-phase comprehensive project life cycle model including the project incubation/feasibility phase and the post-project evaluation phase. PM World Journal, 1(5), 1-40.

Blais, K. & Hayes J.S (2015). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. Prentice Hall. New Jersey.Knaak, J. P., & Parzeller, M. (2014). Court decisions on medical malpractice. International journal of legal medicine, 128(6), 1049-1057.