Lean-healthcare approach to reduce costs in a sterilization plant based on surgical tray rationalization |
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Authors: | Flavio S Fogliatto Michel J Anzanello Leandro M Tonetto Daniela S S Schneider Ana Maria Muller Magalhães |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Industrial and Transportation Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;2. ffogliatto@producao.ufrgs.br;4. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4421-7004;5. Graduate Program in Design, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos, Porto Alegre, Brazil;6. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4403-2085;7. Sterilization Department, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil;8. Nursing School, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil |
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Abstract: | AbstractSterilization plants process all reusable materials used in hospitals during different stages of healthcare provision. Most items sterilized come from the surgical theater in the form of individual instruments, linen and surgical trays. Reducing the number of instruments in trays impacts on the performance of the sterilization process. Here, we propose a three-phase method, based on lean healthcare principles, cluster analysis and kaizen groups of experts to rationalize surgical trays, reducing sterilization processing costs. We innovate by proposing a strategy to approach tray rationalization prioritizing surgical specialties that are both complex and frequent, and by using group technology to cluster surgical trays expediting expert analyses carried out by kaizen groups. Our propositions were tested in a high complexity, tertiary care hospital, covering 12 surgical specialties, reducing the number of instruments by average 9.75%, and the time-to-assemble trays by average 9.68%, obtaining annual savings of US$285.756,00 in sterilization processing costs. |
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Keywords: | Lean healthcare kaizen groups sterilization plant rationalization operating room logistics surgical trays |
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