Transforming Manual Processes into Real-Time Solutions: Applying Systems Thinking for Smarter, Faster, Safer Healthcare Workflows via Regulatory Affairs Case

The Department of Regulatory Affairs plays a critical role in maintaining institutional compliance with federal, state, and city regulations, along with accreditation standards set by The Joint Commission. Previously, observations were documented in REDCap without real-time entry to avoid disrupting educational rounds. Findings were later converted into PDFs, sent to owners for corrective actions, and then manually transcribed into an Excel database. This workflow was inefficient, prone to errors, and made retrieving past findings difficult due to inconsistent entry.

This presentation introduces a systems thinking approach to evaluate the process, identify stakeholder requirements, and address pain points. In collaboration with developers, the goal was to design a streamlined, real-time solution that improves accuracy, reduces redundancy, and increases compliance while simplifying workflows. The new mechanism enabled accurate data entry, reduced the time needed for documentation, and provided a scalable framework adaptable to other departments, fostering consistency and efficiency across the institution.

After attending this abstract, the attendees will be able to apply a systems thinking framework to observe workflows, map processes, and design effective solutions for improving workflows.

After attending this abstract, the attendees will be able to demonstrate how to deal with implementation challenges, such as change management, by applying lessons learned from this project.

After attending this abstract, the attendees will be able to adapt the presented framework to other departments or projects to improve efficiency and compliance.