| Early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) was implemented to frame the resuscitation time for severe sepsis/septic shock within six hours. The delay in achieving this goal has an influence on treatment outcome and cost. This research aimed to improve sepsis resuscitation bundle, also known as, six-hour-bundle, partnering with a team from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Industrial engineering (IE) tools, such as failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), root cause analysis, simulation modeling and sensitivity analysis were used to analyze the process. Six factors were identified that influence the overall patients' treatment time. Based on the simulation results, the improvements suggestions resulted in reducing the average patient treatment time by 32%. Hence, the patients' percentage that finishes within 6 hours increased from 50% to 71%. In conclusion, the IE tools proved to be effective in identifying the reason for inefficiencies in a complex process and provide suggestions to improve the treatment process. |
