Assessing Clinical Care using Interactive Value Stream Mapping

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a tablet pc application that allows generation of value stream maps across multiple clinical environments. As part of this objective, a methodology was put in place to reduce barriers for using a systems engineering approach in the medical field. The overall intent of using value stream mapping tools and lean philosophies in the medical environment is to begin the process of standardization among different medical centers. An interdisciplinary team of Medical Doctors, Clinical Researchers, and Industrial Engineers created a transformed Value Stream Mapping Application that can be easily used in the management of injured patients. Initial testing demonstrated that there was high inter-rater reliability in application use. This study showed that a systems engineering approach is highly relevant in the medical field and that the developed application can be used for the generation of future research data and for ongoing decision support assisted hospital quality improvement efforts.