ENBIS: European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics

Applying Statistical Methods to Healthcare Processes

22 September 2009, 10:10 – 10:40

Abstract

Submitted by

Thomas Svensson

Authors

Alexander Chakhunashvili

Affiliation

, The Skaraborg Hospital Group, Sweden

Abstract

Following the success in the manufacturing industry and the service sector a growing number of healthcare organizations today are exploring possibilities to deploy systematic process improvement initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma in order to reduce waste/unwanted variation and improve quality of care. As part of these initiatives, the use of statistical methods including control charts, hypothesis testing and regression analysis is also increasing.

The Skaraborg Hospital Group, consisting of four hospitals located in Skövde, Lidköping, Falköping and Mariestad, introduced its Six Sigma initiative in 2005, and has since then completed over 25 Black Belt projects. The problems addressed in these projects come from all main segments of healthcare including medicine (e.g. issues related to medication errors, diabetes care, pressure ulcer), surgery (e.g. operation planning, post-operative treatment of patients with hip fractures), psychiatry (e.g. issues related to cooperation between institutional and non-institutional care, supervision/surveillance of suicidal patients at different psychiatric wards), women’s care (e.g. caesarean sections) and children’s and adolescent care (e.g. outpatient care vs. overnight hospitalization).

In this presentation, we will show a number of applications of statistical methods in some of these improvement projects, including the ones that are more specific to healthcare (e.g. monitoring the effect of a safety-critical medicine on an individual patient). Finally, concluding remarks as well as some suggestions for further use of statistical methods in the healthcare settings will also be made.

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