To enhance the path of workflow:
- Visualize the path of workflow processes and operations: identify the bottlenecks, drill down to find the root causes, and start creating solutions.
- Remove silos: make sure there is coordination and communication between steps in the workflow path and that everyone is on the same page.
- Standardize practices: clearly standardize each step in the path of workflow. Standardize data management workflows in the lab and with all departments in the organization.
- Empower employees: by ensuring they know exactly what is expected of them, they can operate autonomously across the workflow path.
- Streamline communications and collaborations: do this across teams and departments with automatic notifications when task adjustments are made.
- Build alignment: automatically send updates, emails, and deadline notifications.
- Automate tasks: implement a modern clinical laboratory information management system (LIMS) to streamline data management through the workflow path. This will reduce common errors of a manual system, increase efficiency, and provide better record keeping, result reporting, and data storage.
- Utilize resources effectively: improve human resources by automating as many tasks as possible. This improves their efficiency, prevents boredom, and reduces manual errors. Paperless storage makes accessing lab data easier.
- Implement an audit trail of performance metrics: Track performance through the workpath steps. Implement software solutions that can track not only turn around time (TAT) and errors but performance at each step of the workflow path. TAT is an important metric as it can be measured at every workflow path. For example, the time from test order to specimen collected, from specimen collected through processing, from samples at every analyzer to test report, and finally from analyzer test report to report to Provider. Track the number and type of errors recorded. This will allow the observing of patterns across days and weeks which may indicate problems slowing workflow.
Improving workflow management will save time, and money, as well as increase staff morale. It will enhance the service to providers and other departments in the organization. Improving workflow is fundamental to quality improvement in laboratory services.
