The Purpose of Time-Motion Studies (TMSs) in Healthcare: A Literature Review

Abstract

By utilizing time study methodologies, one can ascertain how long it takes a skilled person to complete a task with a specific level of quality. Time study aids in the selection of different job execution options as well asin the determination of the workforce required for a certain task, and thus assist in increasing manpower efficiency. It also aids in the acquisition of plants and machinery. By elaborating on the definition of "time-motion studies" (TMSs) as it is used in the biomedical literature and presenting justification based on full knowledge of that definition,this work aims to contribute to the standardization of TMSs. In TMSs, which is a type of quantitative data gathering, an outside observer records the motions and time necessary to complete an activity, together with an analysis aimed at increasing productivity.This papersuggests that, according to the researchers, the term is used to designate a range of investigations, the gathering and/or analysis of the length of one or more occurrences. A detailed analysis of all the available literature is done in this paper to get knowledge about TMS and its use in healthcare. Also, a comprehensive overview ofmany methodologies applied in works that are classed or referred to as TMSs is provided in this paper. Time motion investigations were first introduced in industrial engineering at the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then, they have been extensively employed by biological researchers, and because there is currently interest in parts of clinical workflow, they have attracted attention. However, combining the findings from different studies has proven challenging because there is a lot of variation in how techniques are used and reported. Although efforts have been made to uniformly publish these data and outcomes, there is still confusion about what TMSs are. A shared understanding of time and motion (TAM) research, as well as a proper acknowledgment of the various approaches it comprises, is a critical step toward standardization and validation. In this review paper literature analysis is done to discover what is known as TMSs to achieve the mentioned purpose.