The Research On The Implementation Of Six Sigma In The Clinical Laboratory Management

Laboratory, one medical technology system, matters a lot for the hospital strength, especially under the background when the competition between medical organizations becomes more fierce than ever. The main function of laboratory is to provide inspection and reference for therapy. One of the most important criterion for laboratory is to shorten turnaround time (TAT for short) of during testing the specimens.First, this paper introduces the generation and evolution of six sigma management, as well as its remarkable success achieved in various fields. The real meaning and scientific connotation are generalized according to the existing theoretical level and research experience. Meanwhile, the application of six sigma method into enterprise management is also analyzed, particularly in the testing process of medical organizations. By analyzing the difference between the manufacture and inspection of enterprise product, we discuss the urgency along with the feasibility for Beijing Cancer Hospital to improve the inspection service by applying six sigma management, and summarize a specific mold during clinical examination.Second, this work analyzes the inspection service of laboratory by using DMAIC method, ie. the five-step approach (definition, measurement, analysis, improvement and test) in six sigma management. During the research, various means were employed, including literature review, expert consultation, questionnaire survey and so on. A conclusion was drawn that the main problems exist in following aspects: the limit in detection speed of instrument, the lack of standby equipment, the ambiguity in inspection process, and the weakness of service awareness.Facing these problems, some measures were applied as follows. Specific inspection processes were formulated to reduce the wait time. Three professional groups were set by combining original six small one, which could improve the work efficiency. The number of operators on duty was increased into two to relieve the stress caused by large quantity of specimens on morning. A batch of new instruments were purchased to guarantee each inspection had standby equipment. A reformation was carried out on inspection line by changing the old instruments, leading an increase in test speed from 2400 item/hour into 7200 item/hour (not including electrolyte item).The resulted achieved after applying these measures shows that six sigma management displays great application value in clinical therapy, since the improvement in service of laboratory, the decrease of defects during inspection as well as the shorten of TAT of test. The improvement mode of six sigma management in laboratory service is also demonstrated in detailsLast but not least, we summarize the six sigma management established in Beijing Cancer Hospital, as well as the limitation of this mode in clinical therapy. This advanced managementiown great potential to be proposed to Chinese medical organizations, and can benefits the health care system most based on the characteristics of our country.