Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles
Objective: Adult outpatient oncology pain clinics face many challenges due to the increased number of patients, the restriction of electronic appointment systems, overcrowding, waiting time, and patient dissatisfaction. This project aimed to improve clinic time efficiency, decrease clinic waiting ti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2019;volume=6;issue=4;spage=381;epage=388;aulast=Al |
| _version_ | 1797763488169328640 |
|---|---|
| author | Ahmad Al Hroub Abdullah Obaid Rawya Yaseen Aqel El-Aqoul Naser Zghool Hussien Abu-Khudair Darwish Al Kakani Aladeen Alloubani |
| author_facet | Ahmad Al Hroub Abdullah Obaid Rawya Yaseen Aqel El-Aqoul Naser Zghool Hussien Abu-Khudair Darwish Al Kakani Aladeen Alloubani |
| author_sort | Ahmad Al Hroub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Adult outpatient oncology pain clinics face many challenges due to the increased number of patients, the restriction of electronic appointment systems, overcrowding, waiting time, and patient dissatisfaction. This project aimed to improve clinic time efficiency, decrease clinic waiting time, and improve patient satisfaction. Methods: Lean thinking concepts and their tools, for example, value-stream mapping and value added (VA)/non-VA (NVA) analysis were used. Electronic appointment system slots were stratified based on patient visit type. A total of 187 patients were included in a time-motion survey at three different occasions: preintervention (n = 67) and two consecutive quarter postintervention time points (n = 64, n = 56). Simultaneously, patient satisfaction was reported quarterly by a quality management office. Results: The pain clinic workflow became more efficient; the mean clinic waiting time decreased from 72.5 min at preintervention to 19.5 and 21 min at the two postintervention quarters, respectively. Moreover, patient satisfaction improved from 75% at the preintervention to 100% and 96.7% at the two postintervention quarters. Conclusions: Redesigning the process of an electronic appointment system using lean thinking considerably decreases patients' waiting time, improves patient satisfaction, improves resource utilization, allows proper scheduling based on patient visit types, eliminates unnecessary waste processes, and reallocates health-care providers' time toward direct, individualized patient care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:42:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-563808040c5347b6945f6fd7e70ef9b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2347-5625 2349-6673 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:42:13Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing |
| spelling | doaj.art-563808040c5347b6945f6fd7e70ef9b32023-08-02T03:44:39ZengElsevierAsia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing2347-56252349-66732019-01-016438138810.4103/apjon.apjon_21_19Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean PrinciplesAhmad Al HroubAbdullah ObaidRawya YaseenAqel El-AqoulNaser ZghoolHussien Abu-KhudairDarwish Al KakaniAladeen AlloubaniObjective: Adult outpatient oncology pain clinics face many challenges due to the increased number of patients, the restriction of electronic appointment systems, overcrowding, waiting time, and patient dissatisfaction. This project aimed to improve clinic time efficiency, decrease clinic waiting time, and improve patient satisfaction. Methods: Lean thinking concepts and their tools, for example, value-stream mapping and value added (VA)/non-VA (NVA) analysis were used. Electronic appointment system slots were stratified based on patient visit type. A total of 187 patients were included in a time-motion survey at three different occasions: preintervention (n = 67) and two consecutive quarter postintervention time points (n = 64, n = 56). Simultaneously, patient satisfaction was reported quarterly by a quality management office. Results: The pain clinic workflow became more efficient; the mean clinic waiting time decreased from 72.5 min at preintervention to 19.5 and 21 min at the two postintervention quarters, respectively. Moreover, patient satisfaction improved from 75% at the preintervention to 100% and 96.7% at the two postintervention quarters. Conclusions: Redesigning the process of an electronic appointment system using lean thinking considerably decreases patients' waiting time, improves patient satisfaction, improves resource utilization, allows proper scheduling based on patient visit types, eliminates unnecessary waste processes, and reallocates health-care providers' time toward direct, individualized patient care.http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2019;volume=6;issue=4;spage=381;epage=388;aulast=AlLean principlepain clinicpatient satisfactionqualitywaiting timeworkflow |
| spellingShingle | Ahmad Al Hroub Abdullah Obaid Rawya Yaseen Aqel El-Aqoul Naser Zghool Hussien Abu-Khudair Darwish Al Kakani Aladeen Alloubani Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing Lean principle pain clinic patient satisfaction quality waiting time workflow |
| title | Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles |
| title_full | Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles |
| title_fullStr | Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles |
| title_short | Improving the Workflow Efficiency of an Outpatient Pain Clinic at a Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles |
| title_sort | improving the workflow efficiency of an outpatient pain clinic at a specialized oncology center by implementing lean principles |
| topic | Lean principle pain clinic patient satisfaction quality waiting time workflow |
| url | http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2019;volume=6;issue=4;spage=381;epage=388;aulast=Al |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmadalhroub improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT abdullahobaid improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT rawyayaseen improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT aqelelaqoul improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT naserzghool improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT hussienabukhudair improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT darwishalkakani improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples AT aladeenalloubani improvingtheworkflowefficiencyofanoutpatientpainclinicataspecializedoncologycenterbyimplementingleanprinciples |