Table 1 Phases of project development with results
| Â | Analysis of strong and weak points (actual situation) | Analysis of causalities | Correcting measures | Control of effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) | Unsatisfactory possibility of telephone contact | Telephone appointment arrangement done additionally by all personnel of outpatients' department | Establishment of a patient hotline; continuous availability; standardization of appointment arrangement for all patients; clear rules for emergencies after opening hours | Patient survey (time: 6 months after introduction) |
2) | Little consultation activity | No medical education of administrative staff and too little time | Guaranteed and correct consultation by experienced nurse and medical team | Patient opinion poll; analysis of waiting periods (time: 6 months after introduction) |
3) | Faulty utilization of office hours and speciality consulting hours | Unknown expected workload because no reason was registered | Modification of the appointments book: illness and/or reason for contact is written down | Analysis of waiting periods, analysis of use to capacity of outpatients' department stuff survey (time: 6 months after introduction) |
4) | Bad plannability of medical and nursing work flow | No relation between treatment time and symptoms | Appointment arrangement dependent on symptoms or contact reason; time units defined for certain symptoms or treatments | Analysis of waiting period (time: 6 months after introduction) |
5) | Little flexibility of the system | Rigid appointment arrangement system | Transition to flexible time planning by daily updates of appointments book | Analysis of appointments book (unproductive phases) (daily) |