MCDONALDISATION

Students Name

University/College
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McDonaldisation is a phrase that was first coined by George Ritzer. Essentially, it means

that a task is rationalized and then it is broken down into simpler parts which make it cheaper,

faster and efficient. It is comparable to a craftsman who takes their time to manufacturing a piece

that belongs to a larger part of the furniture. He would go through a myriad of steps to ensure

that the results are of high quality, and it meets the clients needs. The quality of a larger part

relies on how the smaller parts are made.

Background

Many companies have begun to use McDonaldisation, which is also known as the

assembly line method. In this scenario, the product goes down aa line, and different people deal

with specific aspects of the final product. Moreover, this does not require, though, and it is

simple especially hen the employees are used to doing a particular task. This is the current

situation in healthcare. It can be said that healthcare has been McDonaldized. In this regard, the

hospital management and care providers will begin to see the products offered as streamlined.

Essentially, the allow sick patients in, and these patients are then released back after healing.

Most fast food restaurants operate based on the McDonaldization method. In this case, it

means that food, fries and other inputs are delivered from a source far away. It can be from an

external factory, farmers or even commercial stores. The same vehicle that carries the inputs also

has tomatoes, onions, lettuce that are carried in a clear plastic bag. Cooking does not occur at

this stage. They are the ingredients necessary to finish the final product. The only requirement is

deeps and timers which inform the worker that preparations are read. Once a new customer

makes an order, one employee will prepare the fries while another makes the burger. Another

employee will assemble the meal as another puts it in a bag and gives it to you. This enhances
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efficiency without the need for additional skill or knowledge among the employees. It also

prevents deviation. Mostly, the assembly lines improve output and makes the entire production

process cheaper. For instance, the process has influenced customers to work for free. Primarily,

customers clean their tables and fill their drinks. It reduces the need for additional manpower in

the organization.

This is the same case in the provision of healthcare services. The higher the number of

patients catered for in a hospital the higher the profitability. Just like restaurants, the more tables

turned, the more they make per shift. Hospitals rely on beds instead of tables. Healthcare has

been broken down into simpler smaller parts, just like the case of the assembly line. This leads to

an increase in productivity. This mode of production is common in commercial business such as

IKEA, and McDonalds. These are organizations deal with a large number of orders, and they

have to use different pieces to come up with a final product.

Case study

The case study will consider a public hospital that has a bed capacity of 50 beds. The

hospital, or any organizational unit in a hospital, it is common to hear about certain personnel

such as the shift manager, staffing or charge nurse especially when they deal with issues about

the Bed Board. This is a common source of argument in the hospital and is the basis of why a

hospital exists. Essentially, the size of hospitals is determining y the number of beds, or rather

the occupancy of these beds. The Bed Board is a critical component of the hospital as it allows

patients to keep track of how these beds are used, especially who uses them. In a hotspot, bed

shuffles happen all throughout the day and night. It is a common occurrence. The physician can

order a bed on a unit that is full, or a patient could require a bed in a unit that is already at full
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capacity. This will require that the patents are shuffled to increase space. The individuals who

are responsible for requesting or ordering the changes do not meet the patients. In the current

content, the shift manager can say that a male aged 27 years should be moved from a unit called

B2 to another unit known as CVPCU. The shift manager then suggest that the new patient who

has been admitted should be taken to A4 since the patient who is there will be relocated to the

surgery/medical floor. The ER patient who has been pending in the queue can then be moved to

the neuro ICU. On the other hand, the semi-stable ICU woman from the neuro ICU can then be

transferred to B2. This improves efficiency, and all patients will have a bed.

In the current hospital context, there are many specialists. These are professionals who

deal with various areas in the provision of health services. All physicians in the hospital have

various role to play, and they have to work together. An individual doctor cannot deal with the

patient as a whole. Even though the doctor can see the patient, they will then have to recommend

a different specialist based on their analysis of the patient. Additionally, vital data will be

collected that can be used by the new specialist to determine issues with the current patient, and

suggest ways for improving their condition. For instance, there are specialists such as

cardiologists who deal with chest pain, nephrologists or urologist who will deal with issues in

regards to peeing and even a neurologist if a patient is suffering from a mental condition. These

individual have varying specializations. While one employee prepares your food, the other

assembles while another gives you your purchase. If you want to discharge a patient from the

hospital, then a minimum of two specialists will have to agree and sign off. Indeed, it is a

complicated process that ensures the treatment outcomes are enhanced.

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In the hospital, as is the same case with commercial organizations such as target, every single

element is bar coded and computerized. All the patients, medications, packages, staff, equipment,

and supplies ca easily be traced and identified.

Impact

McDonaldisation has a great impact on industries, especially in hospitals. When a person

first goes to the hospital, they will have to check in. The individual can then see a nurse to get a

triage done, and then they will see a physician before they get discharged. In the patent requires

mental health assistance, x-rays, pharmacy or even lab report, they will have to see about 7-9

people during the hospital visits. This improves efficacy as all these individuals deal with

different aspects of the hospital. Since they have experience and skill in their particular

profession, they can quickly provide the best services in the hospital. They can easily determine

what the patient wants or even offer suggestions. This reduces the time spent by patients in the

hospital. The benefits are enhanced if the hospital deals with a particular group of patients. This

is a scenario where the employees are aware of individual patients and their medical history. It

makes it easier to determine what they need, and service delivery is enhanced, reducing the time

spent in the hospital.

In some clinics or hospitals, the provider has come up with specific schedules, and in

each 10-20 minutes, the individual has to see a patient. This is often the case unless the

individual is a new patient, or the care provider has been recently employed. Moreover, more

time will be spent if the caregiver is supposed to do a complete physical or history to determine

issues with the patient. If the hospital follows a regular timetable such as appointments for visits,

then it will only deal with a single problem. If the patient has a different issue, then they will
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have to come back to the hospital on another day. This ensures that the specialist always has a

constant flow of patients and that patients can easily access the services that they require. For

instance, if a patient comes to the hospital with a broken leg, then the doctors will only deal with

the led. If they have another issue, that is not life threatening such as a mole. In this case, the

patent will have to be scheduled to come to the hospital at a later date to deal with the issue.

Negative impact

If the McDonaldisation strategy is not controlled, then it would lead to unreasonable

structures in the organization. It would create a situation where humanity is denied. In this

context, it leads to a denial of the human reasoning among individuals who work within the

system or are served by this system. There are instances when this method is more productive or

beneficial. In other cases, it is not applicable. Individuals are not products that are moved from

one point to another in the production line. In medicine, an overreliance on the system replaces

empathy and energy with inactivity and fatigue. Humans are not robots, and they can quickly

become weary and tired when they work in a particular job for a long time. It can easily cause

burnout among physicians and residents. Moreover, it dehumanizes the patients and destroys the

human relationship between doctor and patient.

Several antidotes apply to the McDonaldization in healthcare. Micropractices deal with

the move towards efficiency is minimizing overheads and allowing physicians and employees to

have more time together. It entails the adoption of the preferences and inputs among patients. It

is imperative to consider the feedback from patients to ensure that the system is working

efficiently. Even though it can have benefits to the hospital, the system can lead to some issues

among employees and feedback is a corrective mechanism.

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McDonaldisation relies on son several dimensions. The first dimension is to optimize a

process or improve efficiency. Even though this is the best result, it can often lead to

irrationalities. For instance, even though the use of windows can be efficient, it can lead to hard-

pressed employees and long waiting lines. Moreover, McDonaldisation means that clients will

employ less skilled and cheaper personnel to minimize the time they spend with patients. The

benefits arising from efficiency are often felt by supporters of the system. However, patients

stand to lose as it can lead to an increase in the visit length.

The preference towards quantity instead of quality has become the norm in healthcare.

Just as the case with fast food, quality is not a good substitute for quantity. For instance, medical

schools are often interested in providing data so that they can be ranked on average college test

scores and admission rates, even though the former can be exaggerated while the latter cannot be

sued for predictive purposes. The final dimension of McDonaldisation is that human are

controlled by non-human technology. In the case of fast food establishments, machines and not

workers, manage the process of cooking. In this care, care providers spend more time with

computers (49%) instead of patient (13%). Policies and billing codes dictate how patients will be

assisted. It reduces patients to automatons and caregivers to robots.

In conclusion, McDonaldisation is an essential aspect of an organization. The concept

means that the hospital can be equated to an assembly line, and small parts of a product are

created leading to the development of the final product. In hospitals, patients access services

from different personnel in the organization, leading to improved treatment outcomes and

enhancements in efficiency. McDonaldisation increasingly characterizes the health care sector. It

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has both benefits and limitations in a hospital. It is imperative to look at these issues before

implementing McDonaldisation systems in a hospital.