11th EORNA Congress Valencia, Spain | 16 - 18 May 2024 Clinical Case Studies 30 468 Lean Management in the Operating Room: A Case Study of the 424 Military Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece. Evangelia Kasagianni1, MYRSINI KELEPOURI1, Georgios Gkagkas1 1424 General Military Hospital, Operating Room, Thessaloniki, Greece Background: Lean management is a business philosophy that is gaining prominence in the field of strategic management. Lean process improvement is a culture of ideas, tools and processes designed to improve workflow and eliminate waste, providing maximum value for minimum cost. Our study supports that lean management principles can be effectively applied in an organization, such as a hospital and specifically within an operating room. Objectives: The primary objective of this poster is to present the philosophy and basic principles of lean management, exploring how these can be implemented in the demanding workplace of the operating room. The discussion lays on the experience gained from the implementation of lean process improvements in the operating room of our hospital. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted in PubMed, Elsevier and Google Scholar databases. Supportive to these were additional data and experience gained during the planning and the implementation phase of the whole project, under the guidance of our head nurse who had underwent training in Lean Six Sigma and became the initial instructor. Results: Lean process improvements included: • Implementation of wireless telephones by both the cleaning crew and paramedics. • Utilization of electronic codes by authorized nurses instead of passport keys. • Establishment of new storage spaces categorized by material type and usage. • Grouping of surgical instruments based on the color corresponding to each surgical specialty. • Reconfiguration of surgical instrument sets. • Reduction in turnover time. Conclusion: Lean philosophy contributes to a more efficient and effective operating room, by eliminating waste and nonadding value activities. Lean process improvements minimized communication and overprocessing problems, improved our inventory management contributing to a smooth workflow and a significant reduction in turnover time. Nurses mitigate fatigue by minimizing unnecessary movements and eventually potential errors. Lean management is evidently applicable in the operating room.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzc2ODc=