I’ve said this over and over that if I had to list the top 10 industries that should have zero defect, the healthcare or the pharmaceutical industry would be on that list.
Good thing there are quality methodologies, like Six Sigma, that can reduce errors. Take for instance, the medical errors. In an article on HealthLink, three initial projects on reducing medical errors were successful because of Six Sigma. These are:
- IV drug infusions - errors and discrepancies were improved by standardizing drug concentrations, developing tables to improve the accuracy of drip calculations.
- Patient Controlled Pumps for Administering Pain Medications - this area was improved by standardizing processes and training the involved personnel.
- Laboratory turn-around time - this aspect was improved by improving on software and interface issues and the pneumatic tube system, and training Black Belts.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
