Value stream mapping in the preparation of patients for surgery A study of a private hospital in Turkey

Background: Due to the equipment used in the health system, drugs, and the need for specialized health personnel, the operating rooms are the most costly, and time is the most valuable resource. From this point of view, the study was aimed to raise awareness about Value Stream Mapping, which is one of the problem-solving practices in nurses, and to practice with a sample VSM study (eliminating non-value-creating activities, creating flow in processes, and avoiding delays due to the preparation of the surgery in the pre-op period with continuous improvement). Methods: Observational action research. The research, Value Stream Mapping, which is one of the lean methods, was carried out in a private hospital between December 2019 and March 2022. A total of 59 patient flows were observed in three stages. First, the current situation map was drawn. Value-added and non-value-added time was determined. The problems experienced in the current situation were determined and suggestions were developed for their solution, kaizen studies were carried out. Onset time and delays in minutes were monitored for all first cases on a daily basis. Result: Non-value-added activities were reduced from 102 min to 52 min on average. In particular, the quality increased from 0 % to 36 %. "If patients were not in the operating room within 10 min of the scheduled start time, this was considered a late start". While the rate of starting the surgery on time at the first observation was 0 %, this rate increased to 70 % at the end of the study. Conclusions: Improving the pre-op preparation process was effective in increasing the percentage of surgery that started on time in the operating room. It is thought that value stream mapping can be a useful method for improving on-time starts in the operating room.