Continuous quality improvement tools have been widely used in the Healthcare Industry to increase efficiency and patient safety as well as to reduce cost. This research explores the impact of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement initiative on the overall process efficiency and patient safety in the Labor and Delivery (L+D) units of a large hospital provider. This study focuses on the application of a modeling and simulation methodology to investigate the influence of a localized process improvement intervention on the overall L+D unit output by considering patient flow, system capacity, and unit performance. The simulation models capacity profiles and patient flow through the system to determine patient throughput and waiting times. Baseline data was obtained from information systems logs from two Sentara Healthcare. Finally, the simulation analysis provides evidence to support decision making regarding process improvement implementation across the evaluated scenarios; the results evidence a significant time reduction, not only in the registration process but also in the “Time to Arrive to the Physician.”
","abstract_html":"<p>Continuous quality improvement tools have been widely used in the Healthcare Industry to increase efficiency and patient safety as well as to reduce cost. This research explores the impact of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement initiative on the overall process efficiency and patient safety in the Labor and Delivery (L+D) units of a large hospital provider. This study focuses on the application of a modeling and simulation methodology to investigate the influence of a localized process improvement intervention on the overall L+D unit output by considering patient flow, system capacity, and unit performance. The simulation models capacity profiles and patient flow through the system to determine patient throughput and waiting times. Baseline data was obtained from information systems logs from two Sentara Healthcare. Finally, the simulation analysis provides evidence to support decision making regarding process improvement implementation across the evaluated scenarios; the results evidence a significant time reduction, not only in the registration process but also in the “Time to Arrive to the Physician.”</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gil-Moreno, Luvianca G."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Engineering Management & Systems Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pilar Pazos","Mamadou Seck","Ghaith Rabadi"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-04-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-04-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:34:02Z","subjects":["Discrete event simulation","Health care organizations","Labor and delivery unit","Lean Six Sigma (LSS","Process efficiency","Business Administration, Management, and Operations","Industrial Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9780355135398"],"render_values":[{"text":"9780355135398","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/16","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pilar Pazos","Mamadou Seck","Ghaith Rabadi"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gil-Moreno, Luvianca G."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-09-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Engineering Management & Systems Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Discrete event simulation","Health care organizations","Labor and delivery unit","Lean Six Sigma (LSS","Process efficiency","Business Administration, Management, and Operations","Industrial Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9780355135398","https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/16"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Continuous quality improvement tools have been widely used in the Healthcare Industry to increase efficiency and patient safety as well as to reduce cost. This research explores the impact of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement initiative on the overall process efficiency and patient safety in the Labor and Delivery (L+D) units of a large hospital provider. This study focuses on the application of a modeling and simulation methodology to investigate the influence of a localized process improvement intervention on the overall L+D unit output by considering patient flow, system capacity, and unit performance. The simulation models capacity profiles and patient flow through the system to determine patient throughput and waiting times. Baseline data was obtained from information systems logs from two Sentara Healthcare. Finally, the simulation analysis provides evidence to support decision making regarding process improvement implementation across the evaluated scenarios; the results evidence a significant time reduction, not only in the registration process but also in the “Time to Arrive to the Physician.”
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Impact of a Localized Lean Six Sigma Implementation on Overall Patient Safety and Process Efficiency"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Pilar Pazos","Mamadou Seck","Ghaith Rabadi"],"dc:creator":["Gil-Moreno, Luvianca G."],"dc:date.available":["2017-09-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Continuous quality improvement tools have been widely used in the Healthcare Industry to increase efficiency and patient safety as well as to reduce cost. This research explores the impact of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement initiative on the overall process efficiency and patient safety in the Labor and Delivery (L+D) units of a large hospital provider. This study focuses on the application of a modeling and simulation methodology to investigate the influence of a localized process improvement intervention on the overall L+D unit output by considering patient flow, system capacity, and unit performance. The simulation models capacity profiles and patient flow through the system to determine patient throughput and waiting times. Baseline data was obtained from information systems logs from two Sentara Healthcare. Finally, the simulation analysis provides evidence to support decision making regarding process improvement implementation across the evaluated scenarios; the results evidence a significant time reduction, not only in the registration process but also in the “Time to Arrive to the Physician.”
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