Patricia Gadea
The application of Lean methodology to healthcare has shown important benefits for patients and health organizations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of the application of the Lean Healthcare methodology in the nursing office in a Lithotripsy and Endourology Unit.: the office process is the initial contact of the patient with the Unit in which is made a treatment decision. One of the main steps in the office process was the implementation and systematization of a specialized nursing office. To evaluate it several indicators were designed and used. A specific satisfaction survey was designed and used for calculating the satisfaction index. On the other hand, the ISBAR communication tool was implemented as a safety measure for our patients. A total of 5510 office processes were included and analysed from 2014 to 2019. The initial organization and implementation of the nursing office into office process showed an improvement of the perception of information care quality. The posterior systematization of the tasks showed an improvement in the analysis of the office time. The percentage of patients that took more than 60 minutes for office visit was reduced significantly over the years until a value of 9% in 2018. The detailed analysis of the times by stages into the office process showed a reduction of the nursing office assessment time from an average of 14,56 in 2016 to 12,03 minutes in 2019. It allowed to increase a total of 346 visits more in the last year. There was a global satisfaction increase from 90% to 98%. The postoperative infectious complications and other variables were improved as a result of ISBAR implementation. Conclusion & Significance: the implementation and systematization of a specialized nursery office in a lithotripsy and endourological unit increases assistance quality and patient satisfaction. Lean methodology can effectively be applied to improve efficiency.
