Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
Published on: March 19, 2020
Using Lean Six Sigma to Improve Controlled Drug Processes and Release Nursing Time
Maria Creed1, Michelle McGuirk, Ruth Buckley
1Pharmacy Department (Ms Creed), Transformation Office (Ms McGuirk), and Quality and Patient Safety Department (Ms Buckley), Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Ireland (Dr De Brún); National Leadership and Innovation Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland (Ms Kilduff).
Background:
Hospital controlled drug processes are established to adhere to legislation, with little consideration of efficiency of processes.
Local Problem:
A controlled drug process existed, where nurses requested a porter to collect a hand-written order; however, only 19% of drug orders were processed this way. Instead, an unscheduled, ad hoc process led to an average of 17 nurse journeys to pharmacy daily. We aimed to reduce nurse journeys to the pharmacy by 25% to release nursing time.
Methods:
A pre-/postintervention design was used with Lean Six Sigma methods.
Interventions:
A multifaceted intervention involved process redesign, increasing the frequency of a porter-led delivery service, amending delivery times to reflect times of greatest need, and streamlining checking requirements.
Results:
Following implementation, there was a statistically significant 44% decrease in nurse journeys to pharmacy for drug collections, which was maintained after 18 months.
Conclusions:
Interprofessional collaboration improving hospital-wide processes can have significant benefits for the release of nursing time.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Fundamentals of Nursing Process I
01:25Fundamentals of Nursing Process II
01:18The Scientific Method in Nursing Process
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be...
01:21Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake
01:14Time Course of Drug Effect
01:15Introduction to Statistical Process Control