Systems engineering in health care: Overview and examples from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Abstract

140 Background: The University of Texas has six health institutions and Industrial and Systems Engineering faculty throughout university locations across the state. These academic medical centers, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, and schools of engineering, business, and medicine are partnering to implement Systems Engineering in healthcare throughout the UT system. The “systems approach to implementing Systems Engineering” is an opportunity to serve as a world-class model for collaboration across academic institutions for engineering, business, medicine, and healthcare organizations to implement Systems Engineering and systems thinking in healthcare. The objective of the collaboration is not just to produce successful projects, but to achieve transformational change. Methods: This presentation will provide an overview of Systems Engineering and provide examples of the different tools and strategies from the discipline including lean, six sigma, mathematical simulation, optimization and operations research, human factors, facility design layout, statistical process control, design of experiments, scheduling, supply chain and inventory management, staffing models, etc. Funding, leadership, training, and communication efforts associated with the effort will be reviewed including the grant application process for transformational efforts. (The implementation follows the PDSA process.) Results: Currently nine grants have been awarded in the UT system for implementing Systems Engineering. Results will be shared (in terms of cost savings and/or avoidance and patient satisfaction) from specific projects such as a lean effort in the Diagnostic Center and simulation models to schedule nurses in the OR and to determine resource requirements in the ICU. Conclusions: Systems Engineering is a valuable discipline that is relatively new to healthcare. Practicing clinical oncologists can increase efficiency, patient flow, and patient and physician satisfaction by applying Systems Engineering tools and strategies.