Run Charts Revisited: A Simulation Study of Run Chart Rules for Detection of Non-Random Variation in Health Care Processes |
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| Authors: | Jacob Anh?j Anne Vingaard Olesen |
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| Institution: | 1. Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.; 2. University of Aalborg, Danish Center for Healthcare Improvements, Department of Business and Management, Aalborg, Denmark.; Cardiff University, United Kingdom, |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundA run chart is a line graph of a measure plotted over time with the median as a horizontal line. The main purpose of the run chart is to identify process improvement or degradation, which may be detected by statistical tests for non-random patterns in the data sequence.MethodsWe studied the sensitivity to shifts and linear drifts in simulated processes using the shift, crossings and trend rules for detecting non-random variation in run charts.ResultsThe shift and crossings rules are effective in detecting shifts and drifts in process centre over time while keeping the false signal rate constant around 5% and independent of the number of data points in the chart. The trend rule is virtually useless for detection of linear drift over time, the purpose it was intended for. |
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