Flowcharting Medical Processes

1. Flowcharting Medical Processes How to Draw Flowcharts

2. Purpose of Flowcharting • Show the steps involved within the process. • Determine where delays are, their causes, how to reduce them. • Aid in communication of thoughts, ideas, and procedures.

3. Basic Flowcharting Shapes • The terminator symbol marks the starting or ending point of a system. • The delay symbol marks a delay in the system showing that the next occurrence is not instantaneous. • The decision symbol marks a decision or branching point. Decisions are always binary (i.e. “yes” or “no”). • The process symbol can represent a single step or an entire sub-process. • Lines indicate the sequence of steps and the direction of flow.

4. Basic Flowchart The above is an example of a basic flowchart. Like most things, flowcharts can be simpler or more complex.

5. Developing a FlowchartHere is an example of flowcharting in a clinic. A flowchart always starts with a terminator, usually the terminator is a process; however, it can sometimes be associated with a decision that has only one result.

6. Handling Delays Within a Process

7. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions Decisions are important in determining what path to follow as a result of previous events. In the example above, as long as the info has not been gathered, the patient continues to wait in the waiting room.

8. Actions and Processes

9. And the Clock Keeps Ticking Notice the additional delay of the waiting room, that the process “Gather Info” leads to another delay instead of the previous delay. This negates the need to “Gather Info” again, as it has already been gathered.

10. Got Nurse? As can be seen from this diagram, choices directly relate the path that the remainder of the system passes. In this example notice that if no nurse is available the patient remains in the waiting room.

11. Obtaining Vitals

12. What’s Next? This shows a branching of the overall process. What happens if the exam room is not available? What does the patient do if the room is available?

13. We’re Off to See the Wizard, or are We?

14. ¿¡More Waiting!? Delays show that the system is not flawless, reducing the number and length of delays improves patient discharge time.

15. Medicine Update

16. All I Ever Do is Wait.

17. Is There a Doctor in the House?

18. Finally…Results.

19. Let’s Go Home A flowchart usually ends with a terminator, designating the end of the process. However, occasionally, the flowchart will end with a decision if it is necessary to complete the process again after the process has been completed.

20. Looking Back Total Wait: 17-80 min. Total Interaction: 10 min. The delay times and the process times have been overlaid here to allow for interpretation of time spent in each stage of the process.

21. Designing a Better Flowchart • Determine the weaknesses of the system and how to improve efficiency. • What is the best method to reduce delays? • Does every patient need to see the MD? • Does every patient need to see a RN? • Design choices to progress in parallel branches, where returning to a previous step is minimized.