Lean Six Sigma

About: Lean Six Sigma is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1919 publications have been published within this topic receiving 29142 citations.

Lean and Green: Towards Green HRM using Six Sigma

Abstract: Making the HRM function greener by reducing wastage and cutting down the usage of material that are not environment friendly is a big challenge. To be sustainable, businesses are now embracing a relatively new objective: optimizing their operations to improve environmental and social outcomes in a manner that increases overall performance. The Six Sigma technique is a tool that can be used to approach this challenge methodically, in order to achieve the objective. Global technology giant IBM has done remarkable work in this direction and has developed GreenSigma. It is an adaption of Lean Six Sigma to environmental and climate protection, which offers a range of solutions in this direction.

Systems Automation for Cancer Surveillance: A Lean Six Sigma Project for Tracking Care of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Abstract: An automated tracking system was devised to identify new patients with head and neck cancer and to track follow-up tests and surveillance appointments after treatment.

Lean, Green, and Clean Quality Assessment Models

Abstract: All business projects must be certified for quality and environmental standards by some agencies. Generally, the lean projects are evaluated through Lean Six Sigma organizations or equivalent certifying bodies. There are many agencies offer services for quality certifications and compliance adherence. However, most of the companies get certified through international agencies like international standards of the organization (ISO), American Society for Quality (ASQ), quality councils (QC), or bureaus of standards of respective nations.

20 Lean six-sigma significantly reduces hospital patient falls by 40% & falls with injury by 72%

Abstract:

Background

Patient falls can lead to negative outcomes including increased length of stay, decreased patient satisfaction, and reduced quality of life.

Objectives

The objective was to decrease inpatient falls and falls with injury by 30%. Within 6months.

Methods

Lean Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology was used as a framework to reduce falls. A root cause analysis identified active and latent factors. Addressing a multifactorial problem required improvement efforts to be implemented at each step. A standardized visual guide for universal, low, medium and high-risk fall interventions was created. This tool allows clinical care teams to reliably communicate and apply interventions based on fall risk score. This checklist is in the patient’s rooms with patient centered fall risk score and interventions allowing care providers each shift to confirm. As a part of the process improvement effort, the fall supply closet was redesigned to standardize, fall supplies and use visual management to identify fall safety items. As the team evaluated contributing factors, equipment was a latent factor. Bed/chair alarm cords were frequently plugged into incorrect connection sites leading to alarm failure. Color-coding alarm cords removed the risk of error. Sustainability of improvements included ongoing education through scheduled competencies, leadership rounding, data analysis for patterns/trends.

Results

Total inpatients falls/1,000 patient days was reduced from 5.0 to 3.0 (ttest, p<0.001 figure 1). Inpatient falls with injury/1,000 days was reduced from 0.58 to 0.16 (Mann-Whitney, p = 0.02 figure 2). AHRQ estimated an additional cost for hospital-acquired falls to be $6,694. Average decrease of 6 falls/month, annualized cost savings estimated at $481,968.

Conclusions

Lessons learned included: essential role of leadership involvement in systemic process improvements to patient safety, complex initiatives require process level intervention and cultural change, sustainable PI requires a diverse team. The improvement work around fall reduction spearheaded a system-wide initiative related to safety-first.