Lean Approach to Processes Regarding Nursing Activities at Hospital: Evaluation of Nurses’ Views

Abstract

Objective: The study was planned to evaluate views of the nurses about lean approach to processes related to nursing activities.Methods: The descriptive study was conducted with 178 (71.2%) nurses selected from a total of 250 nurses working at six public hospitals in Artvin Province. The data were collected with a survey consisting of questions regarding the nurses demographic features and their views about lean approach to nursing activities at hospitals and then analyzed with percentages and chi-square tests.Results: In the study, 46.1% of nurses stated that the unit where they worked needed lean approach partly. The nurses with graduate degree supported this view more (p=0.034). These nurses stated that the activities to receive belongings of patients during patient admission (21.3%), to fill in patient discharge form during discharging process (16.4%), to perform the hygienic and other care applications of the patients and to record them on the nurse observation form of daily nursing activities (11.1%) were unnecessary. In addition, they explained that activities to shave patients before operation (9.4%) and to enter physicians’ orders by nurses into the system in laboratory process (13.5 %) and to in monitoring process (20.8%); to send all patient files to the pharmacy with the personnel for drug/device supply in pharmacy process (14.3%), were unnecessary. Conclusion: The unnecessary nursing activities were defined in the nursing processes regarding patient admission and discharge processes, daily nursing workflow, operating room processes and laboratory, monitoring, blood centre, pharmacy processes. It is recommended that these processes identified may provide lean approach by eliminating them.