Double Trouble: When Emergency Department Doors Demand Dual Directives!

This photo is from my personal archives…

If one sign doesn't do the job, is it really helpful to add a second one? In both instances?

What are some better ways to solve these problems?

First off, what are the problem statements?

Feel free to post a comment below or join the discussion on LinkedIn.

I'll add a few thoughts, and then I'm curious what you think.

These signs are “visual,” but I wouldn't call them “visual management.” I was taught that visual management helped us “see the difference between normal and abnormal” right away, in a real-time way. Visual management helps us see a problem so we can react. These are just signs.

And they are redundant.

Even with these signs, or what one might call “visual noise,” how often are patients walking out without first stopping at the registration desk? If one sign wasn't working (and how much data was there about that?), how well are the double signs working?

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Mark Graban
Mark Graban

Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups.

Mark's latest book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award.

He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean, previous Shingo recipients.

Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.

Articles: 5889

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