Page 172 - Demo

Q Bulletin, Volume 1, No. 32 (Supplement 1), Jan - Dec 202412th National QA Convention, 8 %u2013 10 October 2024QLL-73Standard Journey for Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Patients and Maintainingthe Sustainability of Reduced Lead TimeNor Azlin AR1, Nik Harlina Roza NK1, Lailatul Nur NA2, Mohamad Hafiz H2, Hasneezah H21 Wakaf Bharu Health Clinic, Kelantan2 Tumpat District Health Of ice, KelantanINTRODUCTION:Wakaf Bharu Health Clinic serves approximately 400 patients daily, 40% being non-communicabledisease (NCD) patients. NCD patients spend an average of 78 minutes per visit across four stations:registration, triaging, consultation, and pharmacy. Lean intervention is used to optimise the delivery ofhealthcare services to patients. The study aimed to improve the NCD patient journey and assess itssustainability through six-month follow-up evaluations.METHODOLOGY:This study was conducted in October 2022, involving 60 scheduled NCD patients, excluding emergenciesor routine procedures. The current Value Stream Map (VSM) indicated a 78-minute lead time across fourstations, including 49 minutes of waiting time and 42 meters of total walking distance and 33 steps.Throughout the journey, 30 wastes were identified. Analysis revealed that the long lead time was due toineffective systems, manpower, materials, and environment. Furthermore, several Kaizen initiatives havebeen implemented at all stations, viz. staff reallocation, staggered appointments, electronic medical recordusage, manual documentation organisation by disease and zone, triage room establishment based onzoning, and digital calling utilisation for improving efficiency and patient experience. Additionally,value-added services like partial supply prescriptions, medication arrangement, and Tallman Lettering arebeing used to reduce medication errors further.RESULTS:For Future VSM, Kaizen bursts boost the VSM by reducing waiting time by 59% to 20 minutes, lead timeby 42% to 45 minutes, and total walking distance by 7% to 39 meters. Moreover, steps are reduced by21% to 26, and waste is minimized by 47% to 16. Sustainability studies conducted in May and November2023 maintain a consistent lead time of 44 to 45 minutes, in line with prior study.DISCUSSION:Rapid process improvement using lean tools in Wakaf Bharu Health Clinic optimises healthcare goals byeliminating waste and reducing lead time, ultimately delivering maximum value to patients.171 | Page