Goff SL, Kleppel R, Lindenauer PK, Rothberg MB. Hospital workers' perceptions of waste: a qualitative study involving photo-elicitation.
BMJ Qual Saf 2013;
22:826-35. [PMID:
23748192 DOI:
10.1136/bmjqs-2012-001683]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To elicit sources of waste as viewed by hospital workers.
DESIGN
Qualitative study using photo-elicitation, an ethnographic technique for prompting in-depth discussion.
SETTING
U.S. academic tertiary care hospital.
PARTICIPANTS
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, administrative support personnel, administrators and respiratory therapists.
METHODS
A purposive sample of personnel at an academic tertiary care hospital was invited to take up to 10 photos of waste. Participants discussed their selections using photos as prompts during in-depth interviews. Transcripts were analysed in an iterative process using grounded theory; open and axial coding was performed, followed by selective and thematic coding to develop major themes and subthemes.
RESULTS
Twenty-one participants (nine women, average number of years in field=19.3) took 159 photos. Major themes included types of waste and recommendations to reduce waste. Types of waste comprised four major categories: Time, Materials, Energy and Talent. Participants emphasised time wastage (50% of photos) over other types of waste such as excess utilisation (2.5%). Energy and Talent were novel categories of waste. Recommendations to reduce waste included interventions at the micro-level (eg, individual/ward), meso-level (eg, institution) and macro-level (eg, payor/public policy).
CONCLUSIONS
The waste hospital workers identified differed from previously described waste both in the types of waste described and the emphasis placed on wasted time. The findings of this study represent a possible need for education of hospital workers about known types of waste, an opportunity to assess the impact of novel types of waste described and an opportunity to intervene to reduce the waste identified.
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