Ergonomic Value Stream Mapping (ErgoVSM):Tool and user guide

ErgoVSM is an intervention process tool stimulating a dialogue for creating more sustainable value streams at hospital wards. It represents a complement to traditional Value Stream Mapping. Work environment issues are integrated in the Lean-management method Value Stream Mapping. The focus is to describe the current state through dialogue and visualisation followed by designing a future state and developing an action plan. During this process, performance, physical ergonomics and work content are considered

Introduction of Lean/Value Stream Mapping at hospital units in three Nordic countries and expected impact on the working environment - A Nordic Multicenter study

Conceptual framework and PurposeA recent review has documented mostly negative effects of rationalization on musculoskeletal and mental health and corresponding risk factors. This goes in particular for the healthcare sector (Westgaard & Winkel, 2011). Lean Practices are increasingly used in healthcare and Value Stream Mapping (VSM) seems to be a commonly used tool to identify and minimize waste (Keyte & Locher, 2004). The health impact of Lean varies considerably between investigations. This may to a large extend be due to differences in the operationalization of Lean (Br\ue4nnmark et al, 2012). VSM is a participatory tool, i.e. those affected by this type of rationalization are performing the analyses and subsequently suggesting the interventions. Participation has been shown to be crucial to obtain ownership of the suggested interventions and thereby increased impact. On this background rationalizations based on VSM may offer a procedure that also includes working environment issues. In addition, workplaces in the Nordic countries seem to offer good opportunities for realizing a true participatory approach considering also working environment issues when rationalizing a value stream (Gu\uf0mundsson, 1993; Westgaard & Winkel, 2011). VSM has been shown to be a powerful rationalization tool in the elimination of non-value-adding tasks (non-VAT). Several studies show that non-VAT generally offer less risky physical and mental exposures (e.g. Kazmierczak et al, 2005; 8stensvik et al, 2008; Palmerud et al, 2012; Jonker et al, 2013). According to this, non-VAT is usually named “the porosity of the working day” (Marx, 1867; Westgaard & Winkel, 2011; Winkel & Westgaard, 2001). Strong political demands to maximize efficiency in healthcare may thus potentially result in an excessive rationalization causing a too large reduction in porosity and thus too risky work intensification.In practice Lean is often perceived as a “threat” by employees at hospitals (H\ue4renstam et al, 2000; many personal communications). In contrast, most Lean consultants generally describe Lean as an opportunity for improvements also in terms of the working environment (numerous personal communications). On this background an ergonomic complement to VSM, the ErgoVSM, has been developed based on existing scientific evidence and in close co-operation with Swedish industry and the healthcare sector (Jarebrant et al, 2013). The ErgoVSM also considers health issues, i.e. risk factors for musculoskeletal and mental health in addition to reduction of waste (Jarebrant et al, 2004; 2009). In this paper we present some preliminary data based on 1st line managers’ assessments of expected impact of action plans based on VSM and ErgoVSM. The presented data are retrieved from a larger NOVO Multicenter Study (Winkel et al, 2012).Design/MethodologyFourteen hospital wards in Denmark, Iceland and Sweden are investigated. Seven of these are using VSM and the remaining the ErgoVSM to improve the efficiency of their patient flows. Current and future states are assessed and action plans presented. 1st line managers are then interviewed and asked to assess expected impact of each suggested intervention in the action plan in terms of efficiency, treatment quality, physical and psychosocial working environment. So far five of the fourteen 1st line managers have been interviewed. Two of the wards have used the VSM tool and 3 the ErgoVSM tool. Results and DiscussionAll together 103 amendments for improved performance have been assessed in the five action plans. Eighty-one of these were assessed also to imply improvements in the working environment. Three suggestions were expected to imply a negative impact and four no impact on the working environment. Fifteen suggestions were not rated as they were decided not to be realized. Using VSM or ErgoVSM did not influence the assessment of expected impact of amendments in the action plan. The dominance of expected positive impact on the working environment of the amendments will be discussed in terms of potential bias and real opportunities. The Multicenter Study includes follow-up investigations of realized impact on the working environment as well as potential national differences between the three investigated countries (cf. Birna & Gunnarsd\uf3ttir, 2012; Edwards & Winkel, 2012; Jarebrant et al, 2012)

A Nordic work environment complement to Value Stream Mapping (VSM) for sustainable patient flows at hospitals – A NOVO Multicenter study

The Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) granted 2007-09 a project with the aim to establish and develop a Nordic Network for scientists regarding research on work environment and efficiency in the health care sector (‘the NOVO network’). The vision is a “Nordic Model for sustainable systems” in health care. A “Sustainable system” is here defined as the joint consideration of competitive performance and working conditions in a long-term perspective (Westgaard & Winkel, 2009, 2011). A preliminary project plan for a Nordic Multicenter project focusing a specific aspect of the vision was developed as part of the above mentioned NCM project. This was entitled: “A Nordic work environment complement to Value Stream Mapping (VSM) for sustainable patient flows at hospitals – A NOVO Multicenter study”. Development of production systems in healthcare is at present to an increasing extent based on Lean Production ideas. In the Lean terminology “value-adding work” (VAW) represents the portion of process time that employees spend on actions that create value as perceived by the customer (Liker 2004). The complementary part is “non-VAW” or “waste” as the general Lean term of non-value-adding activities. In healthcare VSM is a common Lean tool used to identify and minimize waste (Keyte & Locher, 2004). It is a participatory tool, i.e. those affected by this type of rationalization are performing the analyses and subsequently suggesting the interventions. Participation has been shown to be crucial to obtain ownership of the suggested interventions and thereby increase impact. In addition, VSM has been shown to be a powerful rationalization tool. However, the resulting interventions may imply physical work intensification and impaired psychosocial work environment if the proportion of VAW is increased and management issues are not properly considered. In the rationalization process both physical and psychosocial working conditions should therefore be integrated to obtain a competitive performance in a long term perspective. In practice, this is rarely done. Thus, health of the employees and system performance goals often end up on a collision course with short-term performance demands as the winner (e.g. Winkel & Westgaard 1996, Westgaard & Winkel 2011)

Losing a parent to cancer as a teenager: Family cohesion in childhood, teenage, and young adulthood as perceived by bereaved and non-bereaved youths.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate levels of perceived family cohesion during childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood in cancer-bereaved youths compared with non-bereaved peers. METHODS: In this nationwide, population-based study, 622 (73%) young adults (aged 18-26) who had lost a parent to cancer 6 to 9 years previously, when they were teenagers (aged 13-16), and 330 (78%) non-bereaved peers from a matched random sample answered a study-specific questionnaire. Associations were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Compared with non-bereaved youths, the cancer-bereaved participants were more likely to report poor family cohesion during teenage years (odds ratio [OR] 1.6, 95% CI, 1.0-2.4, and 2.3, 95% CI, 1.5-3.5, for paternally and maternally bereaved youths, respectively). This was also seen in young adulthood among maternally bereaved participants (OR 2.5; 95% CI, 1.6-4.1), while there was no difference between paternally bereaved and non-bereaved youths. After controlling for a number of covariates (eg, year of birth, number of siblings, and depression), the adjusted ORs for poor family cohesion remained statistically significant. In a further analysis stratified for gender, this difference in perceived poor family cohesion was only noted in females. CONCLUSION: Teenage loss of a parent to cancer was associated with perceived poor family cohesion during teenage years. This was also noted in young adulthood among the maternally bereaved. Females were more likely to report poor family cohesion. Our results indicate a need for increased awareness of family cohesion in bereaved-to-be families with teenage offspring, with special attention to gender roles.The Swedish Cancer Foundation [2008–758]; the Gålö Foundation; the Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship; and the Mats Paulssons Stiftelse supported the research project