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Title: “Many Hands Make Light Work:” Using a Kaizen Approach to Ignite Innovation While Increasing Patient Safety and Productivity on An Obstetrical Triage Unit
- Identify 3 key elements of a Kaizen approach
- Verbalize rationale for membership levels of a Kaizen approach
- Identify 3 Lean six sigma tools that may be utilized during a Kaizen event
In response to increasing pressures, the healthcare industry is rapidly adopting methods and tools that have been successfully used in other industries. These tools develop healthcare associates to drive process changes thus improving the performance of the organization. Methods that are being used din healthcare are:
- Six Sigma
- Kaizen
- Performance Management
Proposed change: Provide care in a high risk OB Triage unit and data to support a sustained improvement towards a decrease in patient wait time to within community and service line standards.
Implementation, outcomes and evaluation:
- High risk OB (Class I/Emergent) patients at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center are required by policy to be placed on a fetal monitor for immediate evaluation upon arrival. At Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center OB Triage area, the volume and acuity of patients seen in has increased, however space is limited and the workflow had not been adjusted. This resulted in baseline data of OB triage patient wait times that were outside Sharp HealthCare policy and community standards, resulting in increased potential for adverse outcomes. Therefore, in December 2010, an interdisciplinary, intradepartmental team used a Kaizon event to address the issues with the OB triage area. This event consisted of several weeks of planning, followed by an intense (3-5 day) burst of activity to “try-storm” and implement improvements. The targeted time frame for reduction is the time the patient arrives at the admission front desk until EFM was applied. The Kaizen team approach focused on workflows for patient assignment and assessment, resource allocations, and physical surroundings to achieve this objective. The outcome was a change in culture to how we provide care in a high risk OB Triage unit and data to support a sustained improvement towards a decrease in patient wait time to within community and service line standards.
Implications for nursing practice: . Lean six applications such as, Lean education, Waste walk, Brainstorm improvements, Current & future state process mapping, Try-storming ideas and Document standard work, were implemented. Service excellence was demonstrated by the empowering the team to facilitate immediate action orientated solutions to improve the triage admits process
Keywords: Kaizen, Lean Six Sigma, OB Triage
