Improving patient flow in free medical service by introducing a process map: a quality improvement study

Introduction: The tradition of charitable medical treatment can be drawn back to the early years of Christianity when the Church growth closely related to the care for the sick as well as other charitable activities. Though its purpose is charity, free medical service should also improve the quality of service. It can be achieved through the implementation of lean six sigma tools. One of its tools is a process map. Process map in Lean Six Sigma is commonly used as a diagnostic tool to determine the possible bottlenecks in the system. Methods: This is a brief pre and post quality improvement study. Before the implementation of a process map suggested by the researcher (period I), the patient flow was not properly organized. After the lunch break, the researcher introduced a new process map and briefed it to the committee. The patients flow in the afternoon (Period II) was using the process map. Patient numbers and wait times were measured within the time interval of this study. Results: Out of 159 patients who served during the period of this study, 63 (40%) were male and 96 (60%) were female. During Period I of the medical service, 50 patients (31%) were treated with average 17 patients per hour and approximate waiting time 36 minutes. After implementation of process map (Period II) the number of patients served were 109 (69%) with an average 36 patients per hour and an approximate waiting time of 17 minutes. Conclusion: The implementation of process map in free medical service may assist in increasing the number of patients served and reduce the waiting time as a result. Apart from reducing the confusion of where the patients were to go next, the process map also help the committee to identify possible hinderances and address the impediments to efficient charitable medical care.