Enhancing blood centre operations through Lean Six Sigma methodologies - A prospective interventional study in the blood donor area of a tertiary care blood centre.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

Efficient workflow in blood donation centers is crucial for timely collections, donor safety, and effective staff utilization. However, issues such as redundant documentation, inefficient layouts, communication interruptions, and inventory disruptions often lead to increased donor waiting times and decreased satisfaction. To address these inefficiencies, a study was conducted employing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology to identify and reduce non-value-added activities (NVA) in the donor area.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Utilizing the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) framework over seven months, the study involved baseline observations, time-motion studies, staff interviews, and spaghetti diagrams to uncover bottlenecks. Targeted interventions included workflow zoning, digital registration, inventory dashboards, structured communication protocols, and role delegation. The quantitative outcomes were measured pre- and post-intervention (October-December 2024 vs. January-April 2025) were performed using SPSS software (version 29).

RESULTS

The results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in post-intervention: donor registration time reduced by 52.7 %, waiting times decreased by 49.6 %, and NVA activities dropped from 20 % to 9 % of staff time. Documentation errors fell by 65 %, inventory disruptions decreased to under 10 min per day, and staff movement dropped by over 40 %. Additionally, donor throughput increased by 25 %, and satisfaction scores improved from 61 % to 86 %, while communication delays were reduced from over 90 min to 25-30 min daily demonstrating a significant large-sized effect with meaningful difference.

CONCLUSION

The application of LSS significantly enhanced workflow efficiency, documentation accuracy, and service delivery, presenting a scalable and sustainable model for quality improvement in healthcare settings.