Standardization of Procedures to Contain Cost and Reduce Variability of Care After the Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed many aspects of our private and professional routine. In particular, the lockdowns have severely affected the entire healthcare system and hospital activities, forcing it to rethink the protocols in force. We suggest that this scenario, in spite of the new challenges involving so far complex healthcare providers, may lead to the unique opportunity to rethink pathways and management of patients. Indeed, having to resume institutional activity after a long interruption that has completely canceled the previously existing schemes, healthcare providers have the unique opportunity to overcome obsolete and "we have always done in this way" model on the wave of the general desire to resume a normal life. Furthermore, the pandemic has highlighted some flaws in our health system, highlighting those critical issues that most need to be addressed. This article is a review of pre-pandemic literature addressing the use of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and standardization processes in thoracic surgery to improve efficiency. Our goal is to identify the main issues that could be successfully improved along the entire pathway of a patient from the first referral to diagnosis, hospitalization, and surgical operation up to convalescence. Furthermore, we aim to identify the standardization processes that have been implemented to achieve significant improvements in patient outcomes while reducing costs. The methods and goals that could be used in the near future to modernize our healthcare systems are drawn up from a careful reading and interpretation in light of the pandemic of the most significant review articles in the literature.

The use of Lean Methodology to reduce personal protective equipment wastage in children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded many existing healthcare delivery challenges including long waiting lists and cost containment. New challenges have arisen, such as demand on supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the implications of social distancing on staff, patients, and their families. Despite the pandemic, the need to deliver safe, urgent congenital cardiac surgery has remained. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate how Lean methodology can improve PPE supply chain demand and reduce staff exposure to children with unknown SARS-CoV-2 status undergoing congenital cardiac surgery, during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We implemented the define, measure, analyze, improve, and control method (DMAIC) and Value Stream Maps to eliminate waste steps during testing for SARS-CoV-2 for children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery. RESULTS: Following a 3-week period of implementation of this new value stream map, we reduced PPE set usage from 13 to 1 per patient, resulting in an annual saving of over €36,000 and reducing single-use plastic waste by nearly 70 000 pieces per annum. We reduced numbers of staff exposed to patients with an unknown SARS-CoV-2 status from 13 to 1. CONCLUSION: The use of Lean methodology can reduce waste of PPE and plastic, resulting in cost savings, while reducing staff exposure when testing patients with congenital cardiac disease for SARS-CoV-2. By preventing admission of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, we can reduce use of isolation beds and prevent cancellation of surgery, improving patient flow and departmental efficiency. Other departments in our institution are implementing similar admission pathways to allow surgical services to restart during the ongoing pandemic.