Lean project to examine process, maximize resident care Brampton Woods chosen for inaugural quality improvement project   Friday July 16, 2010 -- Lisa Bailey Team members at Leisureworld Caregiving Centre Brampton Woods are very excited to be part of an inaugural Lean project that aims to drive unnecessary steps and waste out of a process and return time to care. Brampton Woods is one of 16 Ontario homes chosen for the Lean project, which is part of the Residents First Quality Improvement Initiative led by the Ontario Health Quality Council (OHQC). “It is a really exciting project,” says Joanne Iacono, Leisureworld director of quality, compliance performance and improvement. She sees the potential for “huge benefits” from the project, which involves striking a team to examine a process and determine greater efficiency, a practice known as “Lean.” “There can be redundancy and wasted time in a process. Some processes have unnecessary steps that have no added value for our residents. When it comes to long-term care, every minute counts so if we can save even 15 minutes on a process, and multiply that by the number of nurses in an organization, we can save an enormous amount of time that can be directed back to resident care,” Iacono says. She is training with the OHQC to become a Lean yellow belt for Leisureworld. She is also part of the Lean team at Brampton Woods comprised of the director of administration, acting director of care, nurse manager, two front-line charge nurses, the RAI-MDS co-ordinator, RAI project lead and an OHQC representative. They will have 120 days, approximately four months, to complete the Lean project. It began with a define phase, with the team consulting staff at the home and determining which process they would like to Lean. The team decided that they will look at the process of registered staff documentation for new admissions. Now in the measurement phase, the team has mapped out the documentation process step by step and is determining what, if any, steps are not providing value to the resident. Staff are conducting time studies to see how long it takes to complete each admission document. The team is also looking at the various assessments done for new admissions, such as falls and skin assessments, and determining what information is critical, and what if any information is duplication. “We’re really questioning every step of the process," Iacono says. “We evaluate each step and determining if it is providing us with the outcomes we really want.” In August, the team will begin the improve phase. They will study the measurement captured and brainstorm ideas for improvement. Suggestions will be implemented and the time studies repeated to see if the “changes we make give us the outcomes we want,” Iacono says. The final control phase looks at sustaining the changes. Ultimately, the goal is to bring the Lean process to all 26 of Leisureworld’s long-term care homes. “We are an organization that embraces quality improvement work. We’re happy that the Ontario Health Quality Council has given us the opportunity to learn and to build capacity within Leisureworld, and we’re fully embracing it,” Iacono says. In addition to the Lean project, nine Leisureworld homes are taking part in a learning collaborative, which is also part of the Residents First initiative. If you have feedback on this article please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.