Seven Prairie North Health Region employees are now certified Lean leaders, having learned and applied quality improvement methods that directly impact patient care and improve the patient experience, according to a PNHR press release.
Helene Brodbin (Lloydminster), Lionel Chabot (North Battleford), Jody Davidson (Lloydminster), Irene Denis (Meadow Lake), Leita Elder (Lloydminster), Ernie How (North Battleford), and Dr. Almereau Prollius (North Battleford) are the first in Prairie North to meet provincially-set standards for Lean leaders under the Saskatchewan Health Care Management System. Forty-four more employees are in training, and 12 more will start training later this year.
"A lot of hard work goes into becoming a certified Lean leader, and I'm proud of those who have made this commitment. But it's really just a milestone on the journey," said David Fan, CEO of Prairie North Health Region.
"These leaders are now teachers within our organization, using Lean management tools to improve the patient experience in our day-to-day work and through specific improvement projects."
"This training has given me a number of very effective tools for building teams and empowering staff," said Prairie North's director of Population Health Services Ernie How. "I find myself using these tools to gather hard evidence to support decision making, use the ideas and power of the staff, then initiate required change with the staff. Being part of improvement teams with clients and staff who are improving the patient experience and safety is very rewarding work."
Lean is a patient-centred approach to continuously improving health care and services. Along with all Saskatchewan health regions and health organizations, Prairie North is committed to using Lean methods and processes to eliminate waste, eliminate defects or errors, and improve safety for patients and employees, the press release states. Lean tools involve patients, families, employees, and care providers in the work.
Certified Lean leaders have demonstrated their understanding of Lean concepts and tools by working with staff in at least three Rapid Process Improvement Workshops (RPIWs) and completing a mistake-proofing project, as well as completing classroom learning requirements. The projects that contributed to certification for these leaders involved teams of employees, care providers and patients developing, testing, and sustaining quality improvements in a number of areas including medication preparation and delivery, lab results reporting, and the patient and client experience in accessing health services, the release adds.
"Lean management has taught us that there is always an opportunity for improvement and has given us the tools to make changes and make them stick," said Fan. "The work is never done. Putting the patient first is the ongoing commitment that drives us all."
