Lean Six Sigma Redesign of a Process for Healthcare Mandatory Education in Basic Life Support—A Pilot Study

Anne Dempsey, Ciara Robinson, Niamh Moffatt, Therese Hennessy, Annmarie Bradshaw, Sean Paul Teeling, Marie Ward and Martin McNamara
Additional contact information
Anne Dempsey: Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, D18 AK68 Dublin, Ireland
Ciara Robinson: Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, D18 AK68 Dublin, Ireland
Niamh Moffatt: Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, D18 AK68 Dublin, Ireland
Therese Hennessy: Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, D18 AK68 Dublin, Ireland
Annmarie Bradshaw: Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, D18 AK68 Dublin, Ireland
Sean Paul Teeling: UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education & Innovation in Health Systems, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
Marie Ward: Centre for Innovative Human Systems, School of Psychology, Trinity College, The University of Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
Martin McNamara: UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education & Innovation in Health Systems, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Healthcare staff are required to undertake mandatory training programs to ensure they maintain key clinical competencies. This study was conducted in a private hospital in Ireland, where the processes for accessing mandatory training were found to be highly complex and non-user friendly, resulting in missed training opportunities, specific training license expiration, and underutilized training slots which resulted in lost time for both the trainers and trainees. A pilot study was undertaken to review the process for accessing mandatory training with a focus on the mandatory training program of Basic Life Support (BLS). This was chosen due to its importance in patient resuscitation and its requirement in the hospital achieving Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. A pre- and post-team-based intervention design was used with Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology employed to redesign the process of booking, scheduling, and delivery of BLS training leading to staff individual BLS certification for a period of two years. The redesign of the BLS training program resulted in a new blended delivery method, and the initiation of a pilot project led to a 50% increase in the volume of BLS classes and a time saving of 154 h 30 min for staff and 48 h 14 min for BLS instructors. The success of the BLS process access pilot has functioned as a platform for the redesign of other mandatory education programs and will be of interest to hospitals with mandatory training requirements that are already facing healthcare challenges and demands on staff time.

Keywords: Basic Life Support; training; education; lean six sigma; mandatory education; process improvement; cardiac pulmonary resuscitation; education; virtual learning environment; blended learning in healthcare; American Heart Association (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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