Managing the patients flow in hospital emergencies: a case study in Chone, Ecuador

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v11i22.5177

Keywords:

Hospital administration, work organization, health services, (UNESCO Thesaurus).

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This study aims to evaluate the management of patient flow in emergencies at the Napoleón Dávila Córdova Hospital in Chone to identify possible improvements in efficiency and care times. A mixed and descriptive approach was used, through direct observation, patient surveys, staff interviews and documentary analysis of the processes. The results showed the main bottlenecks in the admission, triage, waiting room and medical care stages, with waiting times that exceeded international standards. The overall user satisfaction index reached 82.4%, highlighting the empathy of the staff. A proposal was designed aimed at the digitization of processes, the standardization of triage and the strengthening of the organizational culture. It was concluded that hospital efficiency depends on the articulation between technical management and institutional leadership, based on continuous improvement and staff participation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Barraza-Lloréns, M., Arceo-Schravesande, A., Campos-Hernández, Á., Bauhoff, S., & Bernal Lara, P. (2025). Measures of hospital efficiency and quality. (Technical Note No. IDB-TN-03055). Inter-American Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.18235/0013359

Benjamin, E. (2024). The work of patient flow management: A grounded theory study of emergency nurses. International Emergency Nursing, 74, 101457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101457

Cabrera, A., & Orellana, M. (2024). Impacto de la gestión del tiempo en la efectividad del triaje y la percepción de calidad en enfermería. [Trabajo de maestría, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador]. Repositorio PUCE. https://n9.cl/uz5o3

Castro, R., Delgado, R., Duque, M., & Arcos, P. (2021). Capacidad potencial de un centro coordinador de urgencias y emergencias para predecir ingresos hospitalarios y en unidades de cuidados intensivos por COVID-19. Emergencias, 33(4), 368–373. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351176996

De la Torre, A., Sanclemente-Torres, C., Mosquera, L., & Smith, M. (2024). Analysis of the virtual healthcare model in Latin America. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(X). https://doi.org/10.21037/mhealth-23-47

Flores-González, E., Espinoza-Charrier, P., González-Trujillo, C., Hernández-Rivas, S., & Barría-Pailaquilen, R. M. (2020). Eficiencia del sistema de triaje en un servicio de emergencia hospitalario. Revista CuidArte, 9(18). https://doi.org/10.22201/fesi.23958979e.2020.9.18.76671

Harbi, S. A., Aljohani, B., Elmasry, L., Baldovino, F. L., Raviz, K. B., Altowairqi, L., & Alshlowi, S. (2024). Streamlining patient flow and enhancing operational efficiency through case management implementation. BMJ Open Quality, 13(1), e002484. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002484

Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador. (2014). Reglamento de los Comités de Ética de Investigación en Seres Humanos. (Acuerdo Ministerial 4889, Registro Oficial Suplemento 279). Quito, Ecuador. https://n9.cl/ad8t0

Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador. (2022). Modelo de Atención Integral en Salud (MAIS). MSP Ecuador. https://n9.cl/nk5ay

Narváez-Jaramillo, M. E., Morillo-Cano, J. R., & Pantoja-Narváez, C. L. (2023). Insatisfacción con la atención de salud en los usuarios del Centro de Salud Tajamar, Ecuador [Versión v1]. Revista Información Científica, 102. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10403007

Organización Panamericana de la Salud. (2009). Estándares e indicadores para la acreditación de hospitales en América Latina y el Caribe. https://n9.cl/treyx

Organización Panamericana de la Salud. (2011). Manual para la implementación de un sistema de triaje en salas de urgencias. https://n9.cl/3a3j3

Samadbeik, M., Staib, A., Boyle, J., Khanna, S., Bosley, E., Bodnar, D., Lind, J., Austin, J. A., Tanner, S., Meshkat, Y., de Courten, B., & Sullivan, C. (2024). Patient flow in emergency departments: A comprehensive umbrella review of solutions and challenges across the health system. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 274. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10725-6

Samanta, A. K., G., V., & Gurumurthy, A. (2023). Implementing Lean Six Sigma in health care: a review of case studies. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 14(1), 158–189. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-08-2021-0133

Staib, A., Boyle, J., & Sullivan, C. (2023). Lean healthcare implementation for emergency departments: global evidence synthesis. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 128–137. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09563-4

Solarte, A. L., Arteaga Díaz, Y. M., Andrade Sánchez, K., & Herrera López, H. M. (2024). Aproximación general a la gestión por procesos en los servicios de salud en Latinoamérica: una revisión bibliográfica. Informes Psicológicos, 24(1), 69-89. https://doi.org/10.18566/infpsic.v24n1a05

Suárez, Y., León, M., Nariño, A., & Pérez, M. (2023). Metodología para el diagnóstico de la gestión de trayectorias de pacientes en hospitales. Región Científica, 2(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.58763/rc2023115

Tentori, M., Ziviani, A., Muchaluat-Saade, D. C., & Favela, J. (2020). Digital healthcare in Latin America: the case of Brazil and Mexico. Communications of the ACM. https://n9.cl/52esr

Tlapa, D., Franco-Alucano, I., Limon-Romero, J., Baez-Lopez, Y., & Tortorella, G. (2022). Lean, Six Sigma, and Simulation: Evidence from Healthcare Interventions. Sustainability, 14(24), 16849. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416849

World Medical Association. (1964). Declaración de Helsinki de la AMM: Principios éticos para las investigaciones médicas en seres humanos. https://n9.cl/mrs4

Published

2026-07-01

How to Cite

Hidalgo-Cedeño, M. Y., Loor-Cedeño, M. N., & Negrín-Sosa, E. (2026). Managing the patients flow in hospital emergencies: a case study in Chone, Ecuador. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 11(22), 57–76. https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v11i22.5177

Issue

Section

De Investigación