Improvement Story session at the 2013 Saskatchewan Health Care Quality Summit. For more information about the summit, visit www.qualitysummit.ca. Follow @QualitySummit on Twitter. Incorporating the voice of the patient is critical to the success of our Rapid Process Improvement Workshops (RPIWs) and overall Lean work. Hear directly from one of our patient advisors and Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) staff on what this experience has been like for them. Better Care Lisa Clatney; Heather Thiessen; Mark Richardson

1. Incorporating the Patient Voice into Rapid
Process Improvement Workshops (RPIWs)
Heather Thiessen, Mark Richardson, Lisa Clatney
This Session is sponsored by:

2. Incorporating the Patient
Voice into RPIWs
Health Care Quality Summit 2013

3. What is Lean?
• Lean is a patient-focused approach to
identifying and eliminating all non-value
adding activities and reducing waste within
an organization.

4. What does Kaizen mean?
• Japanese term for “continuous
improvement” or “change for the better.”
Typically, a short team based
improvement effort.

5. Rapid Process Improvement
Workshop (RPIW)
• An RPIW is a week-long event where teams
of patients and family members, staff and
clinicians focus on one problem, identify the
root causes, create and test solutions, and by
week’s end, are ready to implement the
solution in the workplace. The team checks
the solution at 30, 60, 90 and 180 days to see
if it has worked and has been sustained.

6. Background
• As of April 19, 2013 the Saskatoon Health
Region will have completed 35 RPIWs.
• By the end of Fiscal 2013 – 2014 SHR will
have completed 71 RPIWs.
• Each and every RPIW has a dedicated
Patient and Family Advisor as an integral
member of the RPIW Team.

7. Describing an Elephant

8. Patient Perspective

9. In the Beginning…
• March 26 – 30, 2012 the SHR launched its
first 2 RPIW Event Weeks.
• During the week of April 23 – 27, 2012
SHR launched 2 more RPIW Event Weeks.
• RPIW #4 was defined as Standardize Room
Turnover in the OR at RUH.

10. All about me…
• Who would have
thought that someone
who depends so much
on the heath care
system could actually
now be an important
part of improving the
health care system.

11. You can make a difference!

12. My amazing team….

13. What an empowering
experience…

14. Observing, observing, observing

15. Finding your voice…

16. Supporting our Advisors

20. I’m your “RPIW buddy”

21. What happens after….
• Closing the loop
• 30, 60, 90, 180 day audits
• Future opportunities identified

22. Everything can be improved.
~Clarence W. Barron