Systems engineering in the healthcare service industry

Systems engineers have worked in the service and manufacturing sectors for quite some time. The concepts of systems engineering have been applied to problems in every sector of the economy. This paper draws attention to the growing importance and complexity of the healthcare industry, and specifically the role of systems engineering in it. The systems engineering thinking relies on the ability to tap into an extensive and comprehensive data network and resources. While healthcare organisations gather a vast amount of data both manually and electronically, there is an abundance of evidence suggesting that the data, when available, are not pulled together comprehensively. Finally, this paper examines how the concepts of systems engineering can be utilised in conjunction with emerging information technologies in the healthcare industry. Because the issues facing healthcare organisations are complex and multi-functional, the ability to evaluate problems across functions and disciplines is increasingly critical.