I’ve heard many words used to describe the things that cause unnecessary waits, delays and aggravations for both patients and caregivers.
The US Institute for Healthcare Improvement, for instance, encourages healthcare leaders to help their teams identify ‘the pebbles in their shoes’ – ie, the things that get in the way of doing what matters. Fans of Lean Thinking, on the other hand, will be very familiar with the term ‘muda’, the Japanese word for waste, which is defined as any human activity that absorbs resources but creates no value.
Now, however, we have a new word to help us identify healthcare improvement opportunities: ‘sludge’.
The word was first coined by author Cass Sunstein to describe situations in which systems are seemingly designed to impede people from doing what they need to do. He concedes that it’s okay to impose a little bit of sludge to make sure that those who are trying to get something actually have a right to that thing. So being triaged before being given a GP appointment or having to wait for your medical insurer to approve a consultation is probably acceptable as long as it’s done as quickly as possible. The problem, however, is that healthcare systems frequently create sludge that prevents people getting timely access to care or deters them from seeking it in the first place.
Fortunately, in an insightful recent Harvard Business Review article, three senior healthcare managers have described how they use ‘sludge audits’ to measurably improve patient care and increase employee engagement by eliminating or reducing anything that adds unnecessary time and cost to healthcare encounters.
So next time you’re casting around for ideas for an improvement project, maybe think about rolling up your sleeves and clearing out some sludge!
– Benedict Stanberry
Healthcare Leadership
Our flagship course for high-potential healthcare leaders: built around the core strategic management disciplines and designed to prepare you for more senior roles and greater responsibilities.
Productivity and Value
This course will enable you and your healthcare organisation to achieve operational excellence by improving capacity, productivity and patient flow at every stage of care.
Patient Experience
A comprehensive course for progressive healthcare providers and professionals who want to design and deliver more person-centred, compassionate and responsive care.
Quality and Safety
Discover how to set up effective error reporting systems, lead investigations into adverse incidents, implement successful patient safety improvement projects and design safer systems of care.
Employee Experience
Discover how to support, engage and retain your healthcare workforce when you need them the most.
Healthcare Strategy
Using case studies from hospitals, clinics and healthcare systems, this programme shows you how to design and execute a strategic project or plan in a healthcare organisation.
Productivity and Value
This course will enable you to accelerate your hospital’s post-pandemic recovery and implement proven strategies for transforming performance in the operating room.
Healthcare Leadership
Aimed at first time healthcare leaders and those aspiring to their first leadership role, this programme will enable you to improve teamwork and take responsibility for people and services.
Digital Transformation
This unique programme will benefit anyone who wants to understand the potential benefits of digital technologies in healthcare and how they can capture those benefits for their own organisation.
Healthcare Strategy
This programme provides you with practical tools for understanding patient needs and preferences, developing a marketing plan, building your healthcare brand and growing revenues.
Productivity and Value
This course gives you practical tools for making better financial decisions and maximising the financial performance of your healthcare organisation.
Digital Transformation
This course is designed to enable healthcare teams and professionals to set-up and manage their own virtual wards or spread the virtual ward model across their health and social care economy.
Quality and Safety
This course will enable you to master the concepts, methods and tools you need to lead successful quality improvement projects or become a quality improvement specialist.
Data Science and Analytics
This course is for anyone who wants to develop their data literacy, make more data-informed decisions and use data analytics to improve the quality and safety of care as well as the experience and satisfaction of patients.
October 18, 2023
Pretty much everyone working in business or management has heard of the MBA degree. However, few healthcare leaders have the time, money or need for such a lengthy and expensive programme.
September 8, 2022
IHLM is deeply saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty was patron of more than 600 charities, many of them in the field of health and medical care.
Course starts: 26 June 2024
Location: Online
