TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing a practical methodology to improve the health-care services
T2 - studying a neonatal intensive care unit case in Oman
AU - Al-Hinai, Nasr
AU - Shamsuzzoha, Ahm
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Purpose: This study aims to develop a practical methodology to identify possible areas of improvements as well as exploring how to improve the health-care staff flow within a selected department in a hospital. Design/methodology/approach: It focuses on showing how to properly study and analyze the health-care services and processes practiced at a selected department within a hospital. For this, several techniques like non-value-adding activities, time motion study, spaghetti diagram, layout analysis, etc. are used. Findings: To test the proposed methodology, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a hospital in Oman was considered as a case study. The study revealed that this unit has several potential improvements capabilities. Further, this study also discussed possible areas of improvements of this case unit and suggested how such improvements can be implemented. Originality/value: Several possible improvements are suggested and are discussed with the hospital authority, which can be clarified as the re-layout of the NICU rooms, reorganization of the store to improve the staff flow, increase the work efficiency, introduction of Help Us Support Healing policy, etc., which can enhance the entire operational system at the studied NICU.
AB - Purpose: This study aims to develop a practical methodology to identify possible areas of improvements as well as exploring how to improve the health-care staff flow within a selected department in a hospital. Design/methodology/approach: It focuses on showing how to properly study and analyze the health-care services and processes practiced at a selected department within a hospital. For this, several techniques like non-value-adding activities, time motion study, spaghetti diagram, layout analysis, etc. are used. Findings: To test the proposed methodology, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a hospital in Oman was considered as a case study. The study revealed that this unit has several potential improvements capabilities. Further, this study also discussed possible areas of improvements of this case unit and suggested how such improvements can be implemented. Originality/value: Several possible improvements are suggested and are discussed with the hospital authority, which can be clarified as the re-layout of the NICU rooms, reorganization of the store to improve the staff flow, increase the work efficiency, introduction of Help Us Support Healing policy, etc., which can enhance the entire operational system at the studied NICU.
KW - Case study
KW - Health-care improvement
KW - Improvement methodology
KW - Lean
KW - NICU
KW - Oman
KW - Six sigma
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U2 - 10.1108/IJQRM-08-2020-0284
DO - 10.1108/IJQRM-08-2020-0284
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096541057
SN - 0265-671X
VL - 38
SP - 1425
EP - 1442
JO - International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management
JF - International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management
IS - 6
ER -