The SureCount Surgical SmartTray® System accommodates and advances Lean Six Sigma and 5S Manufacturing methodologies with a hospital’s supply chain, sterile processing, and surgical departments by focusing on defect elimination or waste. Waste is defined as an action in a step or process that does not add value to the customer.
8 Ways to Eliminate Waste:
- Motion — Reduce all unnecessary or wasted motion of employees related to the unused surgical instruments that are being needlessly recycled through every procedure.
- Waiting — Reduce unproductive time by streamlining the workflow process for surgical instrumentation.
- Unused Employee Talent — Better employee engagement through the improved training that the SmartTray® System is designed to provide with visual and mechanical aids for instrument placement and correct counts.
- Inventory — Reduce the surgical instrument inventory by purging the obsolete and unnecessary instruments that are in constant circulation but seldom, if ever, used in a procedure.
- Defects — Reduce the instances of lost, missing, and dropped instruments and incorrect and incomplete trays going to the OR or back to the SPD.
- Overproduction—The SmartTray® System is designed to address the critical issue of instrument overload and the associated trailing efficiency and safety issues.
- Transportation—The SmartTray® System will help streamline the instrument management processes, minimizing unneeded movement and maximizing institutional efficiencies.
- Non-Value Added Processing—The SmartTray® System will reduce the substantial financial burden on the hospital by creating a new process for surgical instrumentation management focused on standardizing workflow practices and allowing institutional customization for specific instrument selection.
SureCount Surgical 5S Solution:
The 5S methodology philosophy represents a way of focusing and thinking that can better organize and manage the workspace, specifically by addressing the eight areas of waste as defined by the Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing guidance.
- Sort — The SmartTray® System is designed to secure the essential instruments for every applicable procedure while eliminating the non-essential instruments.
- Set in Order — The SmartTray® System creates an ergonomic, organized, and uncluttered workspace where staff have what they need close at hand and clear indicators on where every instrument goes.
- Shine — The SmartTray® is an FDA Class I device designed to facilitate cleaning and sterilization consistent with the institution’s protocols.
- Standardize — The SmartTray® System establishes a chain of custody and accountability between the SPD and Surgical Services for the essential instruments for each procedure.
- Sustain—The SmartTray® System supports a sustainable, repeatable practice in the SPD and OR, which increases efficiency in every procedure. The SmartTray® product is designed to have the same life cycle as comparable container systems.
