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Soft Systems Methodology in Action: The Example of a Private Hospital

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Abstract

The paper dealt with the issues of communication between physicians and patients, health care needs of patients and appointment and documentation systems leading to sub-optimal medical treatment, disorganised files and congestion and improperly stored medical treatment records of patients Two Strands Model of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) revealed and handled at a private hospital in Turkey. SSM helped make changes as recommendations to the hospital. However, the SSM-based enquiry also disclosed some difficulties in the processes of cooperation between the practitioner and the client, arranging democratic group discussions, drawing rich pictures, designating, listing and selecting organisational concerns, designing human activity systems, comparing conceptual models with the problem situation and offering and adopting changes. Thus, the paper proposed possible solutions to these methodological problems through synthesising relevant key conceptions of specific soft and other change methodologies into a framework that attempted to bring robust developmental specifications and order for using SSM.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences, Fatih University, Büyükçekmece, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey

    N. Gökhan Torlak

  2. Department of Management, Faculty of Business Administration, Gebze Institute of Technology, Gebze, 41400, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Büşra Müceldili

Authors
  1. N. Gökhan Torlak
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  2. Büşra Müceldili
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Gökhan Torlak.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Structural Changes in the Private Hospital

  1. (1)

    The issue of the need for a skilled nurse who is responsible for building a bridge between physician and patient can be discussed in the administrative board meetings (desirable and feasible).

  2. (2)

    The skilled nurse can interview with physicians periodically and the requests of physicians in the treatment should be discussed in the administrative board meetings (desirable and feasible).

  3. (3)

    Trainees from Health Vocational High School should be worked in the hospital. They can guide patients (desirable and feasible).

  4. (4)

    Physicians can work part-time (desirable and infeasible).

  5. (5)

    General practitioner can be hired (desirable and infeasible).

  6. (6)

    The administrative board can hire new physicians (desirable and infeasible).

  7. (7)

    A software engineer can be hired to install software and control it (desirable and feasible).

  8. (8)

    The hospital can cooperate with software firm, Health Vocational High School, and Medicine School in order to hire skilled and qualified personnel who are capable of operating the appointment system (desirable and feasible).

  9. (9)

    The number of patients can be decreased per physician (desirable and infeasible).

  10. (10)

    The appointment system can reduce the rate of errors in terms of patients’ data of check-ins and check-outs (desirable and infeasible).

  11. (11)

    Make records regarding the patients’ medical treatment and SSI data analysed by a professional (outsourcing) (desirable and feasible).

  12. (12)

    Data processing centre and HP can cooperate in order to provide feedback to physicians (desirable and feasible).

Appendix 2: Procedural Changes in the Private Hospital

  1. (1)

    The skilled nurse as a counsellor should provide empathy lectures to patients (desirable and feasible).

  2. (2)

    The skilled nurse as a counsellor should provide empathy lectures to physicians (desirable and infeasible).

  3. (3)

    Patients’ satisfaction tests should be applied to patients after being medically treated as well as during the medical treatment period (desirable and feasible).

  4. (4)

    Bureaucracy at the hospital can be reduced (desirable and feasible).

  5. (5)

    The administrative board and software firm can collaborate in order to provide information to patients concerning the functioning of the appointment system (desirable and infeasible).

  6. (6)

    Patients should be informed through brochures or leaflets about the availability of Internet appointment system at the hospital (desirable and feasible).

  7. (7)

    Patients can have an appointment by Internet at home or by using Internet cafés near the hospital (desirable and feasible).

  8. (8)

    Patients should be informed through brochures or leaflets about the availability of SMS appointment system at the hospital (desirable and feasible).

  9. (9)

    Patients should be informed about the availability of face to face appointment system at the hospital (desirable and feasible).

  10. (10)

    Patients can be reminded through their cellular phones or fixed telephony of their appointments before 6 h (desirable and feasible).

  11. (11)

    The staff can verify patients’ identities by checking their certificate of birth and social security number (desirable and feasible).

  12. (12)

    The patients should be aware of their appointments’ time, come to the hospital in time, make their identities confirmed, and go to the physicians’ consulting room (desirable and feasible).

  13. (13)

    The most appropriate accreditation that is concerned with keeping patients’ medical treatment records and SSI data properly for the hospital can be investigated (desirable and feasible).

  14. (14)

    An online system can be purchased and patients’ medical treatment records and SSI data can be classified with a 0 % error (desirable and feasible).

  15. (15)

    The administrative board can announce the specifications of the job that is related to the patients’ data processing through Internet, newspaper or medical publication (desirable and feasible).

  16. (16)

    Two identity cards can be requested from patient (desirable and feasible).

  17. (17)

    Identity card should have a photo of patient on it (desirable and feasible).

  18. (18)

    A system can be established for providing effective communication between patient and physician (desirable and feasible).

Appendix 3: Attitudinal Changes in the Private Hospital

  1. (1)

    The skilled nurse should provide a checklist of effective communication between physician and patient that prevent suboptimal treatment (desirable and feasible).

  2. (2)

    The administrative board manager should stress the necessity of appointment service in meetings (desirable and feasible).

  3. (3)

    The administrative board can adopt JCI accreditation about health care (desirable and feasible).

  4. (4)

    High risk medication cannot be used out of the permitted area in the hospital (desirable and feasible).

  5. (5)

    Rules regarding surgical site infection should be implemented and monitored frequently (desirable and feasible).

  6. (6)

    The checklist of process of medical operation should be read loudly before starting the operation (desirable and feasible).

  7. (7)

    The effectiveness and hygiene of equipment should be monitored in the medical operation room (desirable and feasible).

  8. (8)

    All individuals in the hospital should follow the rules cautiously (desirable and infeasible).

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Torlak, N.G., Müceldili, B. Soft Systems Methodology in Action: The Example of a Private Hospital. Syst Pract Action Res 27, 325–361 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-013-9290-z

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