Poster: Management of overflow in hospitals

This study aims to investigate and provide an effective strategy for managing overflow situations in hospitals. By examining existing situations, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the challenges associated with hospital overflow and offer evidence-based recommendations for reducing the stress impact on staff workload.

Overflow in hospitals is a situation that arises when patient demand exceeds the available capacity of the hospital, leading to overcrowding and compromised quality of care. This situation often arises due to factors such as seasonal diseases, unexpected health crises, or inadequate preparation for possible events. Hospital overflow poses significant challenges, including increased wait times, decreased patient satisfaction, compromised patient safety, also increased stress on healthcare professionals and hospital managers.

To conduct this study, a systematic review of the problem was performed to identify relevant information from databases such as PubMed. The search terms included "hospital overflow," "patient surge," "capacity management," and "emergency department overcrowding." Articles and research between recent years were used for this study.

The analysis of the study revealed several effective strategies for managing overflow in hospitals. These strategies can be categorized into three key areas: demand management, capacity optimization, and system coordination.

Effective management of overflow hospitals is crucial for providing quality care during times of increased demand. Adequate planning, coordination, high number of staffs, and continuously coming up with ideas for quality improvement are key elements for a successful operations.