As a former healthcare professional who has transitioned to data, I have frequently encountered unfamiliar terminology. Associating new vocabulary to an existing knowledge base has been a helpful strategy to encode new information. Terms that will be discussed in this blog are stakeholders, agile and waterfall.
Who are the stakeholders in healthcare?
Stakeholders are highly invested in a business or goal. Since patients are in the business of getting better, they are obvious stakeholders in their own healthcare. For example, as a hospital patient gets stronger, the more independent they become. Family members, another stakeholder, also directly benefit from a patient's progress as stronger patients need less help after they go home. Since collaboration between patients and family is needed to achieve health goals, this indicates that patients are most successful when their medical care is managed by a team.
Who is a part of the stakeholder’s team?
In data analytics, a team might be composed of executives, project managers, data analysts and even customers. In healthcare, a patient’s medical team would include the patient, family, physicians, nurses, therapists and case management. The healthcare setting will likely dictate how the team works together to achieve the patient’s goals. Some settings are more dynamic while others are linear.
What are Agile and Waterfall Methodologies?
Agile methodology is a team-based approach that is dynamic in nature. At any stage of project development, plans can change in direction. This methodology requires intense team collaboration, stakeholder interaction and high flexibility to meet short-term deadlines.
A healthcare setting that is inherently agile is the hospital setting. When a patient is admitted, multiple specialties are addressing the patient's needs simultaneously. For example, physicians and nurses might be performing their initial evaluations while case management meeting with the patient’s family to discuss discharge planning. Agile methodology is well-suited for teams working toward goals with urgent deadlines.
Waterfall Methodology is a team-based linear approach ideal for projects where the end result is clearly established from the beginning of the project. Completion of project deliverables of the current stage is required in order to progress to the next phase. This methodology is more sequential in nature and has a slower pace when compared to agile methodology.
Medical clinics naturally operate within waterfall approach. For example, when a patient is sick, they go to the doctor who performs an exam. Then the doctor orders a prescription, which is filled by the pharmacy, and then picked up by the patient. Implementation of waterfall methodology is often necessary when safety is a factor.
Final Thoughts
Though very different workflows are used in hospitals vs. medical clinics, it's possible to find examples of both methodologies in each setting. Agile methodology could be observed in a medical clinic when physical and occupational therapy co-treat whereas waterfall methodology could be observed in the hospital when physician places an order to allow nursing to administer medication. Ultimately, the most optimal workflow is one that prioritizes the patient's safety and well-being.