Paper Key : IRJ************438
Author: Sween K
Date Published: 13 Jul 2024
Abstract
: Medication errors in hospitals are expensive and have a negative impact on patient outcomes, morbidity, and death rates. Errors are more frequently the consequence of bad system design than of subpar healthcare personnel work. Process design should therefore be given special attention. This action research project looks at how Lean Six Sigma is used in a public hospital in Thailand to lower inpatient pharmacy dispensing errors. Between March 2018 and November 2019, the adoption of Lean Six Sigma successfully decreased monthly dispensing errors from 29 occurrences to 6 events over 14,000 total inpatient days. This was achieved through the use of numerous Lean Six Sigma tools, and improved patient safety. Lean Six Sigma tools used in this study were cause-and-effect diagrams, spaghetti diagrams, five-why analysis, project charters, brainstorming, control charts, and hypothesis testing. This case study can improve hospital manager and medical director awareness of Lean Six Sigma and its benefits relative to the prevention and reduction of medication errors.
DOI Requested