The Process of developing a Hospital Procedure Booking System in the Free State
1
Community Health, University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A864
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
The Process of developing a Hospital Procedure Booking System in the Free State
INTRODUCTION:
elective procedures, scheduled in advance, are crucial to hospital operations. inefficient booking processes can lead to underutilization of resources, patient dissatisfaction, and financial losses. This report outlines the development and piloting of hospital elective procedure booking system (H.P.B.S) for free state hospitals. the health patient registration system, currently implemented in free state clinics and hospitals, supports the booking system by providing unique patient identifiers. the pandemic highlighted the need for an effective booking system to manage elective procedure waiting lists. the HPBS enables specialists to prioritize and streamline surgeries, monitor progress across hospitals, and enhance patient care.
METHODS:
a qualitative research design was employed in this study due to its effectiveness in generating deep insights into attitudes, satisfaction levels, and operational challenges associated with elective procedure booking systems—variables that quantitative approaches alone are less suited to capture. the development of the H.P.B.S for the free state department of health (F.S.D.o.H) involved several key processes, including stakeholder identification, clinical workflow analysis, system requirements validation, and governance considerations. the system was designed and implemented by the FSDoH information communication and technology directorate.
RESULTS:
initial assessments revealed no uniform system to monitor elective procedure waiting lists. the H.P.B.S integrates patient registration, real-time scheduling, and reporting modules into a secure platform hosted on free state health servers. a total of 647 procedures were booked from april 2024 to december 2025, with orthopaedics being the leading department during the pilot.
CONCLUSIONS:
the web-based H.P.B.S standardizes elective bookings, manages cancellations and re-bookings, and provides accurate waiting list data, improving patient care. specialists and managers can now monitor progress on elective procedure bookings. future research should explore the scalability of H.P.B.S to other provinces and its adaptability to different healthcare settings.
The Process of developing a Hospital Procedure Booking System in the Free State
INTRODUCTION:
elective procedures, scheduled in advance, are crucial to hospital operations. inefficient booking processes can lead to underutilization of resources, patient dissatisfaction, and financial losses. This report outlines the development and piloting of hospital elective procedure booking system (H.P.B.S) for free state hospitals. the health patient registration system, currently implemented in free state clinics and hospitals, supports the booking system by providing unique patient identifiers. the pandemic highlighted the need for an effective booking system to manage elective procedure waiting lists. the HPBS enables specialists to prioritize and streamline surgeries, monitor progress across hospitals, and enhance patient care.
METHODS:
a qualitative research design was employed in this study due to its effectiveness in generating deep insights into attitudes, satisfaction levels, and operational challenges associated with elective procedure booking systems—variables that quantitative approaches alone are less suited to capture. the development of the H.P.B.S for the free state department of health (F.S.D.o.H) involved several key processes, including stakeholder identification, clinical workflow analysis, system requirements validation, and governance considerations. the system was designed and implemented by the FSDoH information communication and technology directorate.
RESULTS:
initial assessments revealed no uniform system to monitor elective procedure waiting lists. the H.P.B.S integrates patient registration, real-time scheduling, and reporting modules into a secure platform hosted on free state health servers. a total of 647 procedures were booked from april 2024 to december 2025, with orthopaedics being the leading department during the pilot.
CONCLUSIONS:
the web-based H.P.B.S standardizes elective bookings, manages cancellations and re-bookings, and provides accurate waiting list data, improving patient care. specialists and managers can now monitor progress on elective procedure bookings. future research should explore the scalability of H.P.B.S to other provinces and its adaptability to different healthcare settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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