ABSTRACT
Healthcare professionals have tended not to use commercial management methodologies widely to adapt or improve clinical practices. In particular, the analysis of healthcare situations as a set of processes with system dynamics can make a significant contribution to the reduction of waiting times without compromising quality or patient safety. The issue in healthcare, when compared to manufacturing, is the variation in the number and types of patients. Just as variation has a cumulative impact on quality, so it affects queues and delays. The existing management approach to healthcare focuses on utilisation of resources at each and every stage in the process. The demand for healthcare is relatively constant compared to the change in demand for other services and products. In healthcare the abnormal distribution of cycle times require careful thought and management. Lean Thinking encourages normality in the system, but also depends on regularity in demand.
