Lean Six Sigma Approach in Laboratory Medicine

Six Sigma is a quality management strategy that categorises process capability by evaluating how many process standard deviations can fit within the tolerance limits of the process. It has many potential applications in the clinical realm. MIOT International was one of India’s early movers in introducing the concept of Six Sigma in laboratories, back in 2017. We are the first hospital in the country to receive recognition and certification for ‘Verification of Sigma Metric Performance’ by Westward QC.

Six Sigma helps to enhance quality by reducing errors and variation in processes. It provides a more quantitative framework for evaluating process performance in clinical laboratories to assess analytical performance by measuring process variation and determining process capability.

This helps to improve the process quality and ensure near-zero defect rates in the healthcare system. Six Sigma goes hand-in-hand with Lean, another quality improvement method that helps to reduce inefficiencies and waste in organisations, with the objective of controlling costs and increasing productivity. Our workshop will therefore focus on key areas of training in error control and process improvement in the total testing cycle. This in turn will enhance patient safety, reduce turnaround times (TATs), improve the accuracy of analytical tests, and optimise quality control (QC) rules.