Analysis of the possibilities of using lean technologies to improve the activities of medical rehabilitation departments of polyclinics is an acute task for healthcare managers and rehabilitation specialists.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the existing challenges and determine the mechanisms to improve the primary selection of patients for treatment in medical rehabilitation departments using lean manufacturing tools.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Kaizen Problem and Suggestion Sheets filled in by PHC staff (n=47) and labor time cards (n=90) served as a source of information for studying the organization of the process of primary selection of patients for medical rehabilitation. They provided information about the process flow time, value stream creation time, and the type of production losses.

RESULTS

Introducing lean technologies into medical rehabilitation department activity made it possible to eliminate production losses during the initial selection of patients with degenerative diseases of the spine for rehabilitation treatment, reduce process time from 4094.9±156.3 to 2301.14±134.6 s (p<0.01), increase the time for value stream creation from 47.4% to 97.3% (χ²=62.0; p<0.01), and reduce the time of primary patient selection from 2390.9±16.7 to 1200.8±17.3 s (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Patient flow management, modernization of the medical information system following target tasks, redistribution of functional responsibilities between the doctor and the nurse with equalization of their workload, elimination of production losses, standardization of the work process, and the improvement of the quality and availability of medical rehabilitation in outpatient settings supported the Introduction of lean technologies into the process of initial selection of patients for treatment in the medical rehabilitation department.