Every department within a hospital or health system plays a key role in the financial success of the organization ; therefore , each department is like running a small business within a business .”
The difference in time standards and what is lean ( and not lean ) can be attributed to all types of wasted effort . In the SPD , handling items multiple times , having to perform rework due to defects , failing to complete work correctly , and misplacing trays and instruments that require multiple staff members to search for them are all common examples .
Leaders cannot assume that all employees will consistently follow process standard work . There may be valid reasons for deviations at times ; however , without a standardized process , leaders cannot effectively evaluate or control quality . Leadership standard work helps ensure compliance , monitor effectiveness , identify improvement opportunities , and implement countermeasures .
Again , using Figure 1 as an example , using 300 trays processed in a 24-hour period would add 6.0 full-time equivalents ( FTEs ) to the budget to complete the same amount of work .
Leaders can set expectations with frontline leaders allowing them to manage those expectations with their staff . With a standardized process and effective communication , SP leaders can expose weaknesses in their operations . For example , it could take 20 minutes of actual work to assemble one tray and become part of the planned process . Whatever the starting point , identifying all forms of waste and eliminating it will lead to improvement . When SP leaders reach this point of the process , they have achieved the initial steps of establishing a continuous improvement structure for their department . In time this structure will keep identifying opportunities , and leadership will implement countermeasures to identify all waste in the process . This will be comprised of all value-added
steps or essential steps for this process — and when that process is multiplied by the number of instruments and trays in one ’ s operations , the benefits will be significant .
SP leaders are required to balance consistency and responsiveness to run their business successfully , safely and efficiently . It is essential to define , measure and improve quality of services by utilizing processes , standard work , and data to influence positive outcomes .
David Taylor , MSN , RN , CNOR , is an independent hospital and ambulatory surgery center consultant and principle of Resolute Advisory Group LLC , in San Antonio , Texas . He has served as a contributing author for the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association ( HSPA ) since 2019 .
Robert Leenan BS , CRCST , CIS , CCSVP is a sterile processing improvement consultant and managing partner at SPD Solutions LLC .
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