Efficiencies identified by students of a graduate class in engineering will help improve the operations of the Sandwich Community Health Centre. The centre, with a number of health care professionals in a small space, is challenged by growing patient volume and needs that are unmatched by the budget adjustments, says manager Denise Hotson.
The clinic averages more than 300 patient visits a week.
“That’s why we need to run our operations with increased efficiency,” Hotson says. “And that’s why we turned to UWindsor engineering for help.”
Zbigniew Pasek, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, worked last summer with Hotson to improve the clinic's admissions. He saw an opportunity for further work and assigned two teams of students from his course, Engineering Applications in Health Care, to projects.
One group took on the challenge of improving the clinic's outsourced linen cleaning processes. After an analysis concluded the clinic was overcharged, the students developed an expense tracking system and recommended reductions in inventory. The clinic realized savings of at least 10 percent.
The second team analyzed the use and flow of inventory of supplies used in the medical examination rooms. Doctoral student Abdo Al-Zaher, who led the team, says the main problem was a lack of standard control processes. A new organization, coupled with tracking and ordering software, has enabled the staff to better monitor the supplies.
Master's student George Leferman says it was gratifying to see theoretical knowledge put to use.
“The great thing was what we learn for manufacturing transfers well for health care, and we can immediately see the impact,” he says.
Dr. Pasek says working with the clinic provides benefits to all parties involved.
“The collaboration with the centre has been a great opportunity," he says. "Not only for the students to gain experience and for the clinic to harness the brainpower needed for improvements, but also because it helps to build the link with the surrounding community. So in the end everybody wins.”
Manager of the Sandwich Community Health Centre, Denise Hotson, with engineering students Siobhan Barakat, George Leferman, and Nima Sadrzadeh-Afsharazar in front of the clinic.
News story courtesy of UWin Daily News.