Applying lean principles to continuous renal replacement therapy processes [Case Study]

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Applying lean principles to continuous renal replacement therapy processes C. Brett Benfield?, Philip Brummond, Andrew Lucarotti, Maria Villarreal, Adam Goodwin, Rob Wonnacott, Cheryl Talley and Michael Heung

C. Brett Benfield, Pharm.D., is Postgraduate Year 1 Ambulatory Administrative Resident, Fairview Pharmacy Services, Minneapolis, MN; at the time of writing he was Student Pharmacist, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy (UMCP), Ann Arbor. Philip Brummond, Pharm.D., M.S., is Director of Pharmacy, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI; at the time of writing he was Pharmacy Assistant Director, University of Michigan Health System (UMHS), Ann Arbor. Andrew Lucarotti, Pharm.D., is Pharmacist–Generalist UMHS, and Adjunct Clinical Instructor, UMCP. Maria Villarreal, CPhT, is Certified Pharmacy Technician; Adam Goodwin, CPhT, is Certified Pharmacy Technician; Rob Wonnacott, RN, is Critical Care Nurse; Cheryl Talley, RN, is Critical Care Nurse; and Michael Heung, M.D., M.S., is Medical Director, Inpatient Dialysis Programs, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, UMHS. Address correspondence to Dr. Benfield (cbenfie1{at}fairview.org). Abstract Purpose The application of lean principles to continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) processes in an academic medical center is described.

Summary A manual audit over six consecutive weeks revealed that 133 5-L bags of CRRT solution were discarded after being dispensed from pharmacy but before clinical use. Lean principles were used to examine the workflow for CRRT preparation and develop and implement an intervention. An educational program was developed to encourage and enhance direct communication between nursing and pharmacy about changes in a patient’s condition or CRRT order. It was through this education program that the reordering workflow shifted from nurses to pharmacy technicians. The primary outcome was the number of CRRT solution bags delivered in the preintervention and postintervention periods. Nurses and pharmacy technicians were surveyed to determine their satisfaction with the workflow change. After implementation of lean principles, the mean number of CRRT solution bags dispensed per day of CRRT decreased substantially. Respondents’ overall satisfaction with the CRRT solution preparation process increased during the postintervention period, and the satisfaction scores for each individual component of the workflow after implementation of lean principles. The decreased solution waste resulted in projected annual cost savings exceeding $70,000 in product alone.

Conclusion The use of lean principles to identify medication waste in the CRRT workflow and implementation of an intervention to shift the workload from intensive care unit nurses to pharmacy technicians led to reduced CRRT solution waste, improved efficiency of CRRT workflow, and increased satisfaction among staff.

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? Previous | Next Article ? Table of Contents This Article doi: 10.2146/ajhp140257 American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy February 1, 2015 vol. 72 no. 3 218-223 ? Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Classifications Print Content Case Study Services Email this article to a colleague Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Alert me when eLetters are published Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Download to citation manager eLetters Submit an eLetter No eLetters published Citing Articles Load citing article information Google Scholar Articles by Benfield, C. B. Articles by Heung, M. PubMed PubMed citation Articles by Benfield, C. B. Articles by Heung, M. Related Content Load related web page information Social Bookmarking CiteULike Delicious Digg Facebook Google+ Reddit Twitter What's this?

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