Hospital operating rooms typically generate the highest returns of all hospital departments, yet they are experiencing higher costs and less available capacity. By introducing the 5S methodology, employees can decrease the turnaround time between surgical cases.
Montgomery Regional Hospital with 60 employees working at the operating room department handled over 6,500 surgical and endoscopy cases per year across six Operating Rooms and two Endoscopy Rooms. They were operating at approximately 70% capacity, and considering that some operating rooms were reporting a cost of 10-30$ per minute, they implemented the 5S methodology to improve efficiency and allow more patients to be operated in the same facilities.
The turnaround time was defined as “close-to-cut,” or the time from a surgeon closing the incision on Patient 1 to the same surgeon placing the cut on Patient 2.
The impact of 5S
5S is a methodology that improves workplace efficiency by changing employee’s habits. Simple changes in how people behave are turned in the long term into major cost reductions, reduced near misses and accidents and fewer errors.
Applying 5S, employees understand the importance of discipline and paying attention to every detail in a workplace.
Sometimes places are dirty and may cause a contamination or make someone fall. If items are out of place, they may cause a delay during an operation that can become very risky or life-threatening for a patient. Maybe commonly needed items are always in the same place, but that doesn’t mean is the right place. The right place has to be defined by everybody that is using the item, considering the weight (heavy items should not be placed in high shelves), the size, the distance from the lace is going to be used, the frequency of use and the effort needed to get to the object. Every single minute counts, so if finding an item is taking more than 30 seconds, probably it is not in the right place.
Inventory management is another critical issue in hospitals. Running out of a medicine or having too many can either put someone at risk or utilizing much more space than needed. Clear identification of spaces, items and amounts can make it easier and more cost effective to keep the inventory at the right level before and after every operation.
Equipment maintenance is also key. Having an equipment out of order may be a reason for canceling appointments or increasing waiting time. The fourth step of the 5S, standardize, helps to schedule preventive maintenance routines, define standards and easily visualize any malfunctions ahead of time.
Major benefits in the operating room
As per Montgomery case study (Case Study on Using Lean Principles to Improve Turnaround Time and First Case Starts in an Operating Room), the benefits of applying 5S represented significant cost reductions and increased amount of operations. Below are mentioned some of the major accomplishments:
- Removed equipment and carts from visible hallway space
- Reduced total inventory by about $22,000
- Reduced physical “footprint” of floor space required in the OR for equipment, instruments, and supplies by 38%
- Improved accuracy and feasibility of inventory levels
- Improved layout and flow of case picking area
Created a structured audit process and tool to monitor and sustain the 5S system of organization.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Biztorming new weekly newsletter, featuring must-read content for an agile leader, every Tuesday.
Get the Newsletter in your inbox ⇒
These type of benefits can be achieved in any industrial setting, such as warehouses, assembly lines, offices or event kitchens.
The common issue with 5S implementation is that it looks so simple that tends to be under-estimated and not monitored correctly. That’s why the last step, the “sustain” has to be in place. Monthly audits, continues communication and leading by example can make a huge difference. Through time these actions will be helping to transform 5S into an organizational habit.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us! We will be pleased to help you out.
Lu Paulise
luciana@biztorming.com
@lupaulise
1 Comment
How to apply 5s in industries to reduce costs, increase engagement and improve safety - Biztorming · 16 November, 2018 at 12:33 pm
[…] Increased productivity levels and fewer delays, even during a turnaround […]