Biomaterial Database

Using Lean Six Sigma Methodology to Improve Quality of the Anesthesia Supply Chain in a Pediatric Hospital. 2017

Renée J Roberts, and Ashley E Wilson, and Zenaide Quezado

From the *Division of Anesthesiology, Sedation and Perioperative Medicine, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC; †Department of Materials Management, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC; and ‡Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Washington, DC.

Six Sigma and Lean methodologies are effective quality improvement tools in many health care settings. We applied the DMAIC methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) to address deficiencies in our pediatric anesthesia supply chain. We defined supply chain problems by mapping existing processes and soliciting comments from those involved. We used daily distance walked by anesthesia technicians and number of callouts for missing supplies as measurements that we analyzed before and after implementing improvements (anesthesia cart redesign). We showed improvement in the metrics after those interventions were implemented, and those improvements were sustained and thus controlled 1 year after implementation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011787	Quality of Health Care	The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.	Pharmacy Audit,Quality of Care,Quality of Healthcare,Audit, Pharmacy,Care Quality,Health Care Quality,Healthcare Quality,Pharmacy Audits
D005500	Follow-Up Studies	Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.	Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006776	Hospitals, Pediatric	Special hospitals which provide care for ill children.	Pediatric Hospitals,Hospital, Pediatric,Pediatric Hospital
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000758	Anesthesia	A state characterized by loss of feeling or sensation. This depression of nerve function is usually the result of pharmacologic action and is induced to allow performance of surgery or other painful procedures.
D000761	Anesthesia Department, Hospital	Hospital department responsible for the administration of functions and activities pertaining to the delivery of anesthetics.	Hospital Anesthesia Department,Hospital Anesthesia-Resuscitation Department,Anesthesia Department,Anesthesia-Resuscitation Department, Hospital,Anesthesia Departments,Anesthesia Departments, Hospital,Anesthesia Resuscitation Department, Hospital,Anesthesia-Resuscitation Departments, Hospital,Department, Anesthesia,Department, Hospital Anesthesia,Department, Hospital Anesthesia-Resuscitation,Departments, Anesthesia,Departments, Hospital Anesthesia,Departments, Hospital Anesthesia-Resuscitation,Hospital Anesthesia Departments,Hospital Anesthesia Resuscitation Department,Hospital Anesthesia-Resuscitation Departments
D017749	Total Quality Management	The application of industrial management practice to systematically maintain and improve organization-wide performance. Effectiveness and success are determined and assessed by quantitative quality measures.	Continuous Quality Management,Lean Six Sigma,Sigma Metrics,Six Sigma,Lean Six Sigmas,Management, Continuous Quality,Management, Total Quality,Metric, Sigma,Metrics, Sigma,Sigma Metric,Sigma, Six,Sigmas, Six,Six Sigma, Lean,Six Sigmas,Six Sigmas, Lean
D058996	Quality Improvement	The attainment or process of attaining a new level of performance or quality.	Improvement, Quality,Improvements, Quality,Quality Improvements