Integrating A3 reports and the House of Quality: improving workflow in the recovery room using information technology.

In this paper, we provide a methodology for integrating the House of Quality (HOQ), a process tool, with Toyota A3 reports to effectively identify the priorities and root causes of poor efficiency in a Post Anesthesia Care Unit's (PACU) workflow. The A3 report allowed us to identify the workflow waste, and the HOQ helped us to identify and prioritize the critical root causes of poor workflow that could be improved by technology.