Performance Measures

Performance Measures

Introduction

Balance scorecard is a strategy used for measuring performance that managers utilize for keeping track of the executed activities of the employees under their control. The concept of using a balanced scorecard approach is seen as a holistic tool for helping the organization articulating its strategy and providing a roadmap for aligning the employees and the assigned activities. Dashboard design on the other hand, allows for providing information on a page. Relevant facts are defined on a page with the use of tables and visual indicators. It has been reported that interactive dashboards made on excel have proven to be powerful tools for the business. Companies also design the dashboards according to their own needs. An effective dashboard is one which allows the management for setting goals and targets, and keeps a check on the trends and key performance indicators. An effective dashboard displays the performance indicators to be supplied to the employees and how they are intended to act to achieve the benchmarks of the company and maintain its reputation in the market. Both dashboards and scorecards provide common methods for individuals to understand and benchmark their organizational or business process performance to determine how their contributions affect corporate-wide goals and objectives. Organizations need to stay fully aware of these performance measures as they form the foundations of successfully running a business. These performance measures are not only utilized in the manufacturing industries, but also in the service industry such as a health care organization/unit. The following paper gives a brief view to a healthcare unit i.e. the emergency unit in a hospital, discusses a few articles about performance measurement and in the end defines categories of performance measurement.

Discussion

Emergency Department

The emergency department, sometimes referred to as the emergency ward, accident and emergency or the emergency room is a primary department in the hospital that provides initial care to the patients who have faced casualties or illnesses. These illnesses may be life-taking too. The order of a patient being seen in the department depends on the seriousness of the problem as the people who are in critical conditions are seen and treated first.

The concept of emergency departments emerged in the 20th century with the increased emphasis on assessing the patients with critical conditions. When patients arrive at the emergency department, they are asked and interviewed briefly to understand their illness and how it had affected them in the past. After this assessment, patients may be admitted to the hospital, provided treatment or may be transferred to other hospitals for several reasons. Emergency departments play a critical role in treating the patients who may face death if not treated instantly. The emergency department staff has to be vigilant and available at all times for treating the patients i.e. the emergency ward is open 24 hours for facilitating any kind of patient problem or casualties.

Every hospital has a department of emergency separate with its dedicated entrance and exit. As patients can present at any time and with any complaint, ...