LEAN: 4W & 1H of lean in medical facilities

Abstract

The academic literature offers many examples of firms which have achieved significant improvement via lean management implementation. These firms usually apply well-defined lean tools. The impact of its implementation is well established in the literature, which means they can use it as a guidebook. The essence of lean management is the creation of a culture that encourages learning and thus continuous process improvement through simplifying and standardizing the way work is performed and systematically attacking problems as they occur. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part summarizes available relevant materials about lean healthcare and its methods, applications, results (academic or practitioner literature, case studies, etc.) and creates a complex study of this very current topic. The second part introduces the results of a survey focused on medical staffs' knowledge of lean methods which was carried out in 2013 in various Czech medical facilities. Both parts point out the ergonomic principles in lean healthcare and its benefits.