Title : The impact of effective utilization of greenbelt six sigma method in patients experience in ambulatory care clinic
Abstract:
Background : Patients’ experience defined as interaction between patients and health care system. Positive experience will enhance patients care and treatment outcome.
Goals: To promote positive patients’ experience in outpatients’ clinics through utilization of greenbelt Six Sigma method.
Objectives: 1. To ease registration and care coordination process in outpatients’ clinics. 2. To structured effective communication process between nursing team and patients 3. To establish benchmark result among (NGHA) corporates hospitals.
Method: Nursing leadership in King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital (KASCH) in National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) worked collaboratively with patients experience department to improve patients’ experience in outpatient’s clinic through utilization of Greenbelt Six Sigma method. Defined Identify patients’ experience indicators that reflect, registration process, care coordination process, friendliness of nursing and reception staff.
Measuring: Electronic patients’ experience survey sent through text messages to all patients’ registered phone numbers, who visited the clinic physically and received complete care, other patients were excluded. Data analyzed electronically and published in comparison method for all NGHA’s corporates hospitals for benchmarking.
Analyzing: Analyzing revealed, language barrier, lack of clear communication to the patients about hospital system and delayed escalation of care coordination were the contributing factors for negative experience Improving Action plan designed to improve effective communication, allocated staff nurse to coordinate patients care, patients and families orientation program, and streamlined escalation process for care coordination concerns.
Controlling: Monitor patients’ feedback monthly, discussed the improvement method in executive leadership meetings, enhance patients’ experience concept among the staff through comprehensive education program and streamline escalation process to patients’ experience department to address patients concern timely.
Result: Number of patients who completed the survey were more than 1500 monthly, that include adult and pediatrics’ patients’ parents. Patient’s feedback in November 2021, showed 84.9% positive for ease of registration process, 86.9% for friendliness of the reception staff, 90.3% for friendliness of the nurses, and 87.39% for coordination of the post visit order. While in same month corporates hospitals average result showed, 81.83% for ease of registration process, friendliness of the reception staff 83.24%, friendliness of the nurses 82.46% and coordination of the post visit order 83.85% Implantation of mentioned action plan been reflected a positive response in all indicators in December 2021 and January 2022in (KIASCH) outpatient’s clinic, in comparison with corporates hospitals result Action plan implementation proven their impact on patients’ experience result for December 2021 and January 2022, in comparison with corporates hospitals. In addition, structure communication enhanced patients experience in outpatients’ clinics.
Conclusion Greenbelt Six Sigma method proven to be effective tools to be applied to enhance patients’ experience. Improve staff friendless and streamlined the care coordination with a proper escalation process promote positive experience and effective care.
