Diminishing Complications in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Process via Six Sigma Methodology

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the complications which occurred in a dialysis polyclinic during and after CAPD process and evaluate them in terms of their root causes, severity, sigma levels and hazard scores. The data are collected from 24 patients over a 12 month period. Seventeen complications are determined. Six Sigma’s DMAIC, SIPOC table, Fishbone diagram and FMEA are employed to evaluate the overall process. Vital few CTQ factors are determined to be patient’s compliance to hygiene and presence of comorbid diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems and obesity. Consequently, corrective and preventative actions are proposed for preventing the occurence of the complications.