title: Use of Process Improvement Tools in Radiology.
abstract: Process improvement techniques are common in manufacturing and industry. Over the past few decades these principles have been slowly introduced in select health care settings. This article reviews the Plan, Do, Study, and Act cycle, Six Sigma, the System of Profound Knowledge, Lean, and the theory of constraints. Specific process improvement tools in health care and radiology are presented in the order the radiologist is likely to encounter them in an improvement project.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA. Electronic address: jrawson@gru.edu.
authors.forename: James V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Rawson
authors.affiliation: Hull College of Business, Georgia Regents University, GA.
authors.forename: Amogha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: Hull College of Business, Georgia Regents University, GA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furman
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011871:Radiology / Q000592:standards*