Track: Healthcare Systems

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to apply Lean and Six Sigma techniques in Indian hospital to investigate the barriers in length of stay (LOS) period of Intestinal obstruction patients. The Six Sigma’s DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) procedure is being applied along with standard Lean tools. The detailed data of patients are observed over a period of eight months. The mean LOS is computed to be 11.55 days with standard deviation of 3.34 days. The value stream mapping is used to find various non-value added activities and Fishbone diagram is utilized to determine root causes of the process. Patient’s feedback and GEMBA observations are used to validate the possible causes for the problem. It is observed that nearly 70% of total LOS is non-value added time and can be minimized to reduce the LOS. The waiting time for surgery, time for admission, time for discharge, lack of motivation from doctors, etc. are identified as root causes for the process. It is concluded that Lean and Six Sigma methodologies have great potential to produce clinically significant improvement for surgical patients.