DOE use in the health care industry

We hear a lot about Lean in the health care world but not so much about Six Sigma.  This fact made this story about how Design of Experiments is being used to make things better all the more intriguing to me.  We read:

According to Sloan, DOE is being used for diverse applications, such as investigating the causes for emergency room wait times and determining which treatments in the operating room yield the fastest patient recovery times. Typical designs involve two to three factors and are based on qualitative models. Using the information provided by these experiments, decisions are made by statistical evidence of the outcome, not by instinct. This statistical evidence is then used to assist caregivers in determining which factors are most significant. With this knowledge, they can streamline their process improvement goals and efficiently enhance patient safety and improve patient outcomes.

Good stuff!  As with any process applying a strong dose of Lean and Six Sigma is the best way forward if you ask me.  Read the entire article here.  They talk about all kinds of cool things like contour and interaction plots!  If you have any health care Six Sigma success stories please do share.

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