A framework to improve surgery roadmap efficiency based on design thinking, lean manufacturing techniques, and operations research applications

Abstract

A surgery patient is a unique medical patient due to its requirements, not in the treatment itself but its prevention of post-operative complications affecting the user's close circle experience. Indeed, the patient journey is a crucial cross-functional business process because of the action and information flow between stakeholders and medical systems. Poor patient flow can reduce productivity, increase the risk of harming patients, and reduce the level of quality perceived by patients. Thus, hospitals can enhance the quality of the processes by understanding this roadmap. Consequently, this work focuses on establishing a framework that details the medical patient roadmap considering three approaches: Design Thinking (DT), Lean Manufacturing Techniques, and Operations Research Applications (OR). This work implements the Lean manufacturing Techniques in healthcare (a.k.a., Lean Healthcare) to describe the roadmap's processes, bottlenecks, and mapping value. In parallel, the Design Thinking tools help to draw solutions through co-creation processes, including various stakeholders such as doctors, nurses, engineers, patients, and support staff. Finally, the Simulation tools help enhance the rapid prototyping regarding the roadmap's process modification. This work implements the three approaches in a healthcare institution in Colombia to improve surgery roadmap efficiency and compiled them into a theoretical framework.