Leadership and Barriers in the Implementation of Process Flow Solutions in the Emergency Department

Paper in proceeding, 2013

This paper investigates leadership-related factors that influence the implementation of process flow solutions in healthcare. Qualitative research on four emergency departments identifies important factors related to the physicians´ traditional high level of autonomy and their management preferences, the lack of support from top hospital management, and the lack of communication between the head of the emergency department and head nurse. Top management commitment is crucial. Production of care requires an explicit patient focus with a throughput time perspective and leadership from top management to cope with the barriers to the implementation of a process flow solutions.