ABSTRACT
The preceding experience is unlikely to happen. What it illustrates, though, is the concept of Lean žow from the perspective of the patient. From the time you entered the ED until you left, you were engaged in value-added activities-activities that move you closer to resolving your medical situation. The activities of diagnosis, imaging, treatment, and education were critical to understanding and establishing the best course of care for your injury. If you took any one of those elements away, the overall quality of your care would be diminished. The subject of this chapter, Lean ±ow, is about moving the patient from one value-added activity to the next with minimal delay in between.
