Facility designs
Introduction
A facility layout and design, is a crucial part of the business environment, as ensures efficient production and fulfilment of the desires of employees in their work environment. Its major role is to maintain a seamless flow of information and materials in the system. The major factors that influence the flow of work in a business environment include, the materials used in the operations task, the machines being used and the people that carry out the different operational tasks. Facility design is usually created based on several factors in a company, such as the flow of movement, ease of future expansion, output needs, and materials being handled. Some of the different types of layout designs used include process layout, product layout, and fixed-position layout, all applicable at different operational environments.
Our focus in this paper will be on the process layout in a hospital set up. The process layout is basically applied in aa business set up where there is a lot of processes that need to be carried out to ensure that a certain service or product is delivered. In this kind of layout, several departments are involved, which determine the kind of information that will be available fr the users at hand. An example of a business environment with such an operational environment in the hospital. In this environment, there is a need for a lot of processes to be carried out, to make sure that a service is eventually provided. For instance, for the service of a cancer patient, they ought to interact with different health care professionals, as part of the treatment plan. These interactions make up the process that cancer treatment as a service in a hospital setup follows to be delivered.
The facility design to aid in the delivery of this service can comprise of, the different departments or offices that the patient visits. These departments include anaesthetics, chaplaincy, diagnostic imaging, discharge lodge, oncology and radiotherapy. There is a certain order in which these steps are followed, which informs the final outlook of a facility and the location of different departments. The ultimate goal of this particular design is to reduce transportation costs, such as time and distance. It also seeks to make the service provision process as seamless and efficient as possible.
For this case, for instance, the first process that takes place is the diagnostic imaging that takes place in an x-ray room. This kind of room is made up of several imaging machines, such as x-ray scans and ultrasound scans, which make images of the affected areas of a patient by cancer, so as to inform the kind of treatment that should be administered. The next department that the cancer patient visits is the anaesthetics department, where the anesthesiologist administers drugs so as to help the patient fall into a deep sleep to avoid feeling any pain, as they are receiving their treatment. The next step in the treatment process is the visit to an oncologist, who determines the kind of therapy the patient needs to receive, which leads to the next step in the process, which is the radiotherapy room, where x-rya treatment is offered to destroy the cancer cells, as specified by the oncologist. After they receive this kind of treatment, patients are also visited by chaplains, who ensure their spiritual wellbeing even as the patient heals. Finally, the patient is taken to a dislodge lounge, where he or she gets discharged, and are therefore picked by their family members or caregivers.
Conclusion
It is therefore evident that for a service to be delivered efficiently to a customer, it ought to follow a certain layout of processes. This calls for a facility layout design, which will allow the flow of materials and harmonious discharge of services as it is supposed to be. Such layouts are, therefore, dependent on several factors, such as the type of organization and the services or products it releases. The choice of a process facility layout, for instance, is the perfect choice in a hospital setup, which has several services to be carried out.