QHC Chief of Staff, Dr. Dick Zoutman.(Photo: John Spitters / Quinte News)
Methods used by one of the world’s largest and most successful auto manufacturing companies is making a big difference in local hospitals.
By using so called “lean processing” methods used by the Toyota Motor Corporation, management and staff at Quinte Health Care hospitals has cut the time it takes to transfer a patient from the Intensive Care Unit over to a regular care bed by 75%, to 1.5 hours from 6.
QHC Chief of Staff Doctor Dick Zoutman says the patient leaving the ICU is happier the transfer is done quickly and that’s not all.
Lean processing forces management to remove steps that are proven unnecessary. Dr. Zoutman says many procedures involving paper and documentation have proven to be redundant.
Other areas of the hospital have benefitted from the process and Dr. Zoutman will be travelling tomorrow (Wednesday) to Japan to study Toyota’s methods more closely.
