A process improvement study on patient flow from emergency department to intensive care unit.

IF 1 Q4 HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2024-0039

Nikita Nikita, Ankit Singh

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of patient flow from the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a super specialty hospital.

Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted in the emergency department of a super-specialized hospital, focusing on inpatients requiring subsequent admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). It employed a cross-sectional observational design, utilizing primary data collected through first-hand observations via a data tracking sheet. Data analysis encompassed pre- and post-intervention phases, with 232 patients, including 108 patients in the pre-intervention phase and 124 patients in the post-intervention phase, to ensure statistically meaningful results. The study has also utilized tools such as Project Charter, Microsoft Excel, SIPOC, CTC and CTQ, DPMO, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping and Root Cause Analysis.

Findings: Reduced turnaround time (TAT) by 81%, increased value-added activity percentage from 24.4 to 37.2%, improved sigma level from 2.25 to 2.82 and decreased DPMO (defects per million opportunities) from 226,852 to 92,742.

Originality/value: This study focuses on a specific aspect of healthcare process improvement within a super-specialty hospital, employs a comprehensive Six Sigma methodology and statistical analysis to identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency, and focuses on TAT reduction and defect elimination.

查看原文本刊更多论文

从急诊科到重症监护病房的病人流程改进研究。

目的：本研究旨在提高某超级专科医院急诊科（ED）到重症监护病房（ICU）的病人流动的效率和效果。设计/方法/方法：本研究在一家超级专科医院的急诊科进行，重点关注需要随后入住重症监护病房（ICU）的住院患者。它采用了横断面观测设计，利用通过数据跟踪表收集的第一手观测数据。数据分析分为干预前和干预后两个阶段，共232例患者，其中干预前108例，干预后124例，确保结果具有统计学意义。本研究还使用了Project Charter、Microsoft Excel、SIPOC、CTC和CTQ、DPMO、六西格玛、价值流图和根本原因分析等工具。结果：周转时间（TAT）减少81%，增值活动百分比从24.4%增加到37.2%，西格玛水平从2.25提高到2.82，DPMO（每百万机会的缺陷）从226852降低到92742。原创性/价值：本研究侧重于一家超级专科医院医疗保健流程改进的一个特定方面，采用全面的六西格玛方法和统计分析来识别瓶颈和提高效率，并侧重于减少TAT和消除缺陷。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES-

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： ■Successful quality/continuous improvement projects ■The use of quality tools and models in leadership management development such as the EFQM Excellence Model, Balanced Scorecard, Quality Standards, Managed Care ■Issues relating to process control such as Six Sigma, Leadership, Managing Change and Process Mapping ■Improving patient care through quality related programmes and/or research Articles that use quantitative and qualitative methods are encouraged.