Applying Value Stream Mapping to Improve the Delivery of Patient Care in the Oncology Day Hospital

Pilar I. Vidal-Carreras, Julio J. Garcia-Sabater and Juan A. Marin-Garcia
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Pilar I. Vidal-Carreras: ROGLE, Departamento de Organización de Empresas, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46021 Valencia, Spain
Julio J. Garcia-Sabater: ROGLE, Departamento de Organización de Empresas, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46021 Valencia, Spain
Juan A. Marin-Garcia: ROGLE, Departamento de Organización de Empresas, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46021 Valencia, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Improving the delivery of patient care is an ongoing challenge in the National Health Service (NHS). This challenge is not insignificant in the process of chemotherapy administration for oncology patients. The present research is motivated by a public Spanish hospital in which oncology patients receive medical care in the Oncology Day Hospital (ODH). At the ODH, oncology patients receive different health services by different specialists on a single day. Any discoordination in patient flow will contribute to longer waiting times and stays in the ODH. As oncology patients tend to have special health conditions, any extra time in the hospital is a source of risk and discomfort. This study applies value stream mapping methodology in a Spanish ODH to improve this situation, reducing hospital waiting times and shorting the length of stay. For that purpose, the path of the oncology patients is mapped and the current state of the system is analyzed. Working at takt time and levelling the workload are proposed for improving the working conditions for healthcare personnel. As a result, the quality of service for oncology patients who need a well-defined care profile is improved. The singular characteristics of the Spanish NHS make it challenging to implement new ways of working, so this study has significant theoretical and managerial implications offering directions in which improvement is possible.

Keywords: healthcare operations; value stream mapping; lean healthcare; applications in healthcare systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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