Accomplishing much in a short time: use of a rapid improvement event to redesign the assessment and treatment of patients with alcohol withdrawal.
The use of Lean tools for quality improvement and process refinement is gaining acceptance in many health care institutions. Traditionally, these tools are used to apply incremental changes to established processes in order to reduce waste and improve quality. In this article, the authors describe a novel Lean methodology, the Rapid Improvement Event (RIE), used in a unique way to develop a new treatment protocol for a specific medical condition: alcohol withdrawal. The RIE allowed for the collaboration of a multidisciplinary group of providers invested in the success of a new protocol for alcohol withdrawal that spans areas from the emergency department to the inpatient ward at an inner-city safety net hospital. It also allowed for the definition of measures for its success once it is implemented.
Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA. jeffrey.sankoff@dhha.org
Jeffrey
J
Sankoff
Julie
J
Taub
David
D
Mintzer
D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007902:Length of Stay; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D064876:Safety-net Providers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*