The discharge process in the male inpatient department at Khao Wong Hospital, Kalasin Province.

Abstract

     This action research aimed to 1) study the current situation of the patient discharge process in the male inpatient department 2) examine the patient discharge process in the male inpatient department and 3) evaluate the effects of the improved patient discharge process on standard time and patient satisfaction. The study was conducted in four phases preparation, situation analysis, process improvement, and post-improvement evaluation. The sample consisted of 214 patients who received discharge services 107 patients before improvement and 107 patients after improvement. Research instruments included patient discharge process flowcharts, activity value analysis forms, waste analysis using the 7 Wastes technique, problem analysis using the 5W1H technique, analysis and recommendation forms using the ECRS technique, digital stopwatches for time measurement, patient data recording forms, time recording forms, and patient satisfaction questionnaires. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and Independent samples t-test

     The results revealed that the improved patient discharge process in the male inpatient department using Lean concepts consisted of 10 main activities and 33 sub-activities, reduced from the original process, which had 74 sub-activities, representing a 55.41% reduction in unnecessary activities. The standard time for the discharge process after improvement was 66.45 minutes, decreased from 122.85 minutes before improvement, representing a 45.91% time reduction. Overall patient satisfaction significantly increased after the improvement compared to before it (t = -52.93, p < 0.001)