50% Decrease
In the rate of presyncopal reactions (dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting) in donors.
Using the Lean Six Sigma approach to process improvement, Sensei On Demand CEO Jennifer Ralston developed operational changes designed to reduce the number of donor reactions after giving blood, therefore ensuring a donor’s positive experience.
$60 Million
In savings
Background:
Creating a positive experience for someone who is donating blood may seem like an impossible task for an activity that requires a needle. However, when processes are in place to make people feel comfortable before, during, and after they donate blood, the experience can be over quickly and somewhat painlessly. Toward that end, in 2008, the American Red Cross examined how a blood drive set-up impacted the donor experience. They studied high school blood drives in the Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, and Midwest of the United States.
“By focusing on the donor, understanding how the set-up happens and then implementing steps for making processes flow smoothly, the Red Cross saw a 50 percent decrease in the rate of presyncopal reactions in donors.”
- Sensei On Demand
The Challenge:
Sensei On Demand CEO Jennifer Ralston observed that if a person developed presyncopal symptoms after giving blood and subsequently lost consciousness, in full view of other donors, it created a domino effect. In short, if one donor passed out, then others would follow. When this happened, time and attention was taken away from incoming donors who needed to be prepped for giving blood, thereby slowing down the entire process and creating a less than optimal donor experience.
KEY CHALLENGES
Donor fainting created a domino effect, slowing down processes.
Delayed processes created poor donor experiences and increased costs.
The Solution:
Using the Lean Six Sigma approach to process improvement, Mrs. Ralston developed operational changes designed to reduce the number of donor reactions after giving blood, therefore ensuring a donor’s positive experience. These changes consisted of standard work guidance for staffing, materials and equipment, and work sequence. They addressed having enough beds and interview areas for the expected number of donors and outlined layouts for optimal drive set-up. One key change removed the waiting area from in front of the venipuncture (puncturing of the vein) area, while another defined a standard collection process flow from arrival to recovery. By focusing on the donor, understanding how the set-up happens and then implementing steps for making processes flow smoothly, she and her team saw a 50 percent decrease in the rate of presyncopal reactions in donors. The rate of loss of consciousness and major system reactions (eg. Injury, prolonged recovery) still decreased by over 50 percent once the work process was implemented.
”The changes were small and incremental. Just flipping the beds around so they were end-to-end rather than side-by-side gave the donors a more private experience and greatly diminished the domino effect.
- Sensei On Demand
The Future:
Over the course of a year, the American Red Cross tracked $60 million dollars in savings under Mrs. Ralston’s leadership. Since leaving the American Red Cross to start her own company, Jennifer Ralston together with Chief Operating Officer Nekol Tseklenis and a team of Lean Six Sigma Experts are uniquely positioned to take experiences like this one and apply the learnings to today’s unique process improvement needs.
Now more than ever it is important to not overlook the small, incremental changes that can make a big impact. Sensei OnDemand’s Lean Six Sigma Experts bring over 50 years of combined experience and industry resources to a variety of complex environments and with that comes time-earned excellence in every aspect of their work.
