ABSTRACT
So, how can an approach called Lean help healthcare organizations? On first hearing the word, people might complain that they are already understaffed and do not have enough resources. „e everyday use of the term lean and countless newspaper headlines reinforce what are often negative connotations. Rest assured, the approach presented here is not about mass layoffs. „e idea of “preventable” errors may bring skepticism, as employees and physicians believe they are already being as careful as possible. Hospitals using Lean methods do not improve quality by asking people to be more careful any more than they improve productivity by asking people to run around faster. Lean is very different from traditional “cost-cutting” approaches that have been tried in multiple industries, including healthcare.
