Lean Management Approach for Reengineering the Hospital Cardiology Consultation Process: A Report from AORN “A. Cardarelli” of Naples

Eduardo Bossone, Massimo Majolo, Serena D’Ambrosio, Eliana Raiola, Michele Sparano, Giuseppe Russo, Giuseppe Longo, Maria Triassi and Angelo Rosa
Additional contact information
Eduardo Bossone: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Massimo Majolo: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Serena D’Ambrosio: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Study of Naples “Federico II”, 80125 Naples, Italy
Eliana Raiola: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Michele Sparano: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Giuseppe Russo: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Giuseppe Longo: A.O.R.N. “Antonio Cardarelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Maria Triassi: Department of Public Health, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Angelo Rosa: Department of Management, Finance and Technology, University LUM “Giuseppe De Gennaro” of Casamassima, 70010 Puglia, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Consultations with specialists are essential for safe and high-quality care for all patients. Cardiology consultations, due to a progressive increase in cardiology comorbidities, are becoming more common in hospitals prior to any type of treatment. The appropriateness and correctness of the request, the waiting time for delivery and the duration of the visit are just a few of the elements that can affect the quality of the process. Methods: In this work, a Lean approach and Telemedicine are used to optimize the cardiology consultancy process provided by the Cardiology Unit of “Antonio Cardarelli” Hospital of Naples (Italy), the largest hospital in the southern Italy. Results: The application of corrective actions, with the introduction of portable devices and telemedicine, led to a reduction in the percentage of waiting for counseling from 29.6% to 18.3% and an increase in the number of patients treated. Conclusions: The peculiarity of the study is to apply an innovative methodology such as Lean Thinking in optimizing the cardiology consultancy process, currently little studied in literature, with benefits for both patients and medical staff.

Keywords: lean management; quality improvement; teleconsulting; process re-engineering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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