Improving Patient Service Quality in Physical Therapy: A Perspective of Lean

The constant growth in the number of patients needing physical therapy has affected service quality and treatment effectiveness. The aim of this study was to address patient demands and service provider limitations through the perspective of lean and explore the possibility of improving the quality of physical therapy service. This study was divided into two stages. First, orthopedics referral patients in the physical therapy department were selected to conduct a customer satisfaction survey (n = 112), and service quality gaps were identified with quantitative and qualitative questions in the survey. The second stage was to develop a semi-structured interview outline based on the aforementioned results, and then to interview seven service providers in the physical therapy department about the limitations and challenges of improving the quality of service. The results showed that, quantitatively, patients’ overall satisfaction was high, but, qualitatively, there were five critical service-quality demands to be improved. Five strategies were proposed for improving service quality based on the service provider’s suggestions and the lean perspectives: 1) Set wayfinding lines from the department of orthopedics to the physical therapy center; 2) Reduce unnecessary motion in the environment and implement 5S; 3) Install a standing chair for patients with fractured foot; 4) Visualize the patient treatment information of the appointment system; 5) Visualize the appointment and attendance status for further improvements in reducing manpower idleness. This study proved that the lean perspective can improve the quality of physical therapy from the patients’ point of view, and at the same time take into account service provider limitations.