Ramaswamy R, Rothschild C, Alabi F, Wachira E, Muigai F, Pearson N
In an effort to provide affordable, high-quality maternal and newborn healthcare through a chain of private health facilities in Nairobi, Jacaranda adopted quality improvement as an organization-wide strategy to optimize effectiveness and efficiency. Value Stream Mapping, a Lean Management tool, was used to engage staff in prioritizing opportunities to improve clinical outcomes and patient-centered quality of care.
Implementation was accomplished through a five-step process: (i) leadership engagement and commitment; (ii) staff training; (iii) team formation; (iv) process walkthrough; and (v) construction and validation. The Value Stream Map allowed Jacaranda to come together and develop an end-to-end view of the process of care and identify opportunities for improvement for the entire system.