Discuss the Benefits and Barriers in Telemedicine in an Outpatient Setting: Healthcare Operations Management Assignment, SMU, Singapore

Assignment Overview:

1. Discuss the benefits and barriers in Telemedicine in an outpatient setting and provide recommendations in relation to patient safety (Word limit: 500 — 750)

2. Carol, a Service Manager, has been tasked to upgrade the hospital’s online appointment scheduling system. A task force is assigned to her to help with the project.

As the hospital is rushing to launch this new system together with some other new services, Carol is given six months to complete the system upgrade.

Discuss Carol’s responsibilities and the main challenges she might face in taking up this task. (Word limit: 500-750 words)

3. “Long waiting times top reason for patient dissatisfaction in the outpatient clinic, Boudreaux (2004) for Internal Medicine. Appointment wait times went as high as 65 days and consultation wait times ranged up to 80 minutes for subsidized patients.

Long appointment wait times could potentially contribute to a deterioration of patients’ health, and patients are more likely to become anxious or agitated if the consult wait time is long.

Outpatient clinic staff felt stressed by the need to manage the patients’ emotions and expectations while waiting, as well as by the peak hours caused by uneven workload and scheduling practices.

Discuss the factors contributing to the long waiting times in an outpatient clinic and provide recommendations to manage customers’ waiting time effectively. (Word limit: 600- 850 words)