The Use of Lean Six Sigma for Improving Availability of and Access to Emergency Department Data to Facilitate Patient Flow

Abstract

The aim of this study was to redesign an emergency department [ED] data management system to improve the availability of, and access to, data to facilitate patient flow. A pre-/post-intervention design was employed using Lean Six Sigma methodology with a focus on the voice of the customer, Gemba, and 5S to identify areas for improvement in ED data management processes and to inform solutions for improved ED patient flow processes. A multidisciplinary ED team includes medical consultants and registrars, nurses, patient service staff, radiology staff, as well as information technology and hospital management staff. Lean Six Sigma [LSS] diagnostic tools identified areas for improvement in the current process for data availability and access. A set of improvements were implemented to redesign the pathway for data collection in the ED to improve data availability and access. We achieved a reduction in the time taken to access ED patient flow data from a mean of 9 min per patient pre-intervention to immediate post-intervention. This enabled faster decision-making by the ED team related to patient assessment and treatment and informed improvements in patient flow. Optimizing patient flow through a hospital’s ED is a complex task involving collaboration and participation from multiple disciplines. Through the use of LSS methodology, we improved the availability of, and fast access to, accurate, current information regarding ED patient flow. This allows ED and hospital management teams to identify and rapidly respond to actions impacting patient flow.

Lean Six Sigma Redesign of a Process for Healthcare Mandatory Education in Basic Life Support—A Pilot Study

“…We therefore suggest that this study makes an important contribution to the body of evidence as to the wider use of LSS in healthcare outside of clinical processes alone. Importantly, this study also contributes to the growing body of work on the synergistic use of LSS and person-centered approaches to improvement [ 2 , 3 , 29 , 42 , 45 , 64 , 65 ]. Our person-centered focus on valuing our study participants and their values from the start, were synergistic with the philosophical intentions of person-centeredness [ 2 , 3 ].…”

A Case Study of a Whole System Approach to Improvement in an Acute Hospital Setting

“…Members of the EMT were committed to attending training events and acting as executive sponsors as projects emerged. This confirmed leadership commitment through walking the walk, getting involved, and supporting the project [50][51][52][53][54][55][56].…”

“…The Use of Lean Six Sigma for Improving Availability of and Access to Emergency Department Data to Facilitate Patient Flow [54].…”

The Use of Lean Six Sigma Methodology in the Reduction of Patient Length of Stay Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

“…The objective of this study was to redesign and improve the process for the postoperative care of patients who have undergone ACLR surgery. We used LSS methodology due to its demonstrable impact on patient outcomes and patient experiences of care in healthcare settings, in both clinical and non-clinical areas [29,30], and its successful use within the study site previously [7,26,28,31,32]. To facilitate our improvement approach, we posed the question 'Can the application of LSS to the process for ACLR post-operative surgery care reduce patient LOS?'…”

“…The study site, under Irish healthcare regulations, operates independently of state health services and receives no state funding [7]. Care is funded through private health insurance.…”