Abstract

The recent outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the weakness of the existing healthcare facilities in developing countries like Bangladesh. The increasing amount of patients has made this condition more vulnerable. There is a high possibility that, these increasing amount of symptomatic patients might create a shortage in RT-PCR test kits in upcoming days. The objective of this study is to use Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) in improving the epidemic healthcare management system during the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh. The goal of this study is to use LSS methodology, especially the DMAIC improvement format in the existing dedicated healthcare management system for coronavirus treatment. The root cause analysis behind the higher response time and improper service for the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), and other dedicated healthcare providers regarding, coronavirus treatment in the current situation has been performed. FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) was conducted in order to assess the potential failure modes in the existing healthcare management system. A simulation study regarding the implementation of pooled testing in Bangladesh for improving efficiency and optimizing the usage of RT-PCR test kits has also carried out. Subsequently, the feasibility study of implementing the pooled testing methodology was performed. Finally, recommendations and conclusions have been presented.