Six Sigma, applied to quality improvement in healthcare settings, defines its performance target as approximately how many defects per million opportunities?
- A 6210
- B 66800
- C 3.4 ✓
- D 2700
Correct answer: C. 3.4
Explanation
At Six Sigma level, processes operate with about 3.4 defects per million opportunities, equivalent to 99.99966% conformity, assuming a 1.5 sigma long-term shift of the process mean. The figures 6210 and 66800 correspond roughly to four sigma and three sigma levels respectively, which are the levels at which most ordinary industrial processes run, making B the tempting choice for students who know sigma levels exist but not their defect rates. Six Sigma originated at Motorola in the 1980s and complements Lean, which attacks waste rather than variation.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
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