Six Sigma Approach in Patient Discharge
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Six Sigma Approach in Patient Discharge
Six Sigma Approach in Patient Discharge
The need for effective patent care and service delivery in hospitals is on the rise. Patient discharge is one of the many essential services in health facilities. The patient discharge process is complex and requires specific procedures to limit the impacts of discharge delays. A short discharge time of patients increases the facility’s bed capacity and improves patient care and satisfaction. The Six Sigma approach can be applied to improve the patient discharge process. The study assesses the effectiveness of employing Six Sigma methods to improve the patient discharge process.
The Six Sigma model uses a Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control structure (DMAIC). The first step in improving the patient discharge process is identifying and defining the causes of patient delays. The long discharge process’s primary reason is poor communication between the doctor releasing the patient, the nurse, the pharmacy, and the accounting department. Medical workers must adopt electric health records for effective communication to avoid delays following the Six Sigma approach. Updating patient information records ensures smooth access to patient information by the health providers.
The next phase is the measure of time taken by the pharmacist to dispense drugs and medication. The nurse in charge should confirm the discharge early to enable the medication issue to be addressed in time. Prior patient information to be discharged prevents batch discharge, which is likely to lead to confusion.
Patients should be provided with clear discharge instructions. All diet, medication, and follow- up appointments must be detailed to the discharged patients and their families. The instructions should be documented on paper and review the medication guidelines with the family to prevent patient readmission.
Reference
Arthur, J. (2016). Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals: Improving Patient Safety, Patient Flow, and the Bottom Line. McGraw-Hill Education.
Molla, M., Warren, D. S., Stewart, S. L., Stocking, J., John, H., & Sinigayan, V. (2018). A Lean Six Sigma, quality improvement project improves timeliness of discharge from the hospital. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 44(7), 401-412.
Six Sigma Approach in Patient Discharge
Question
You are the nurse leader on an obstetrics unit. You have been tasked to utilize a Six Sigma approach for standardizing the discharge process. Where do you start?