Optimising Outpatient Registration System Implementation Using Critical Path Method: A Case Study

Background

Today, hospital information systems (HISs) play an irreplaceable role in hospital management. At present, HIS construction projects in many hospitals have faced the setback of ‘project quagmire’ to varying degrees. The critical path method (CPM) mainly aims to find the critical path, thus managing project progress.

Objectives

To explore the importance and practical application of the CPM to the management of HIS project schedules.

Methods

This study used the construction project of a hospital's outpatient registration subsystem as an example. CPM was used to determine the critical path. The time and workload required for the project were calculated using the forward and backward extrapolation methods. The earliest start time and earliest completion time as well as the latest start time and latest completion time of each task could be calculated using the forward and backward extrapolation methods. The path with the longest construction period was determined to be the critical path, and the unit speed rate of each activity was calculated on this basis. Then, the time schedule of the outpatient registration subsystem was compressed and the project schedule optimised.

Results

Path 3 [outpatient registration demand analysis (A)—basic data preparation (C)—subsystem test (F)—simulation test (G)] was determined to be the critical path according to the construction period, and the task time was compressed on this basis. Considering many factors, the time of the subsystem test task (F) was reduced from 7 weeks to 4 weeks. The total cost was saved by 1000 yuan, which not only ensured the progress ahead but also saved the overall cost.

Conclusion

The CPM could effectively measure the completion and deviation of each stage of the registration system project, which provided an effective guarantee for the subsequent schedule compression to ensure that the project was completed as scheduled and was of sufficient quality. However, all conditions had to be considered comprehensively; doing otherwise would lead to increased risks and costs.