The effect of lean six sigma toward maternal emergency lead time in Penembahan Senopati Hospital, Bantul, Yogyakarta

Abstract

Introduction : Indonesia is one of the countries with high Maternal Mortality Rate that result partially from in management inefficiency, causing in obstruction of flow, underutilized resources, and imbalance between the number of patients with the availability of care facilities and the alternative care strategies. One of the strategies that can be applied to reduce lead time is Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology on patient lead time in Maternal Emergency of district government hospital.Methods: Researcher and the participants were involved in planning, gathering data, analyzing, and choosing the best solutions. The participants were trained on LSS methods, its implementation tools and procedures. Evaluations were conducted using lead time observation before and after implementation, and midwives were interviewed about their perceptions. The analysis was based on Value Stream Mapping tools. Results: Patients' lead time from being admitted in emergency unit definitive diagnosis was decreased by 26.04 minutes or 16.4% in Caesarean Section (CS) and 15.25 minutes or 21.7% in other maternal high risk. For emergency CS, the improvement was 33.06 minutes or 26% from decision until incision. The benefit of LSS implementation was primarily in accelerating service processes and improving communication and team work. Conclusion: This study showed that the implementation of LSS had great potential benefit in a maternal emergency unit. Participation of the midwives is crucial for successful implementation of LSS to reduce patients lead time.