ABSTRACT
In the current scenario, with increasing population and urbanization, the increased utility of resources has brought about their scarcity. In every industry, IT, automotive, or healthcare, there is a need to ensure the optimum utilization of resources. The resource can be tangible, like machines or equipment, or intangible, like time. Moreover, in the healthcare industry, errors not only impact revenue and customer satisfaction but also signify a difference between life and death. Multiple healthcare areas require long-term improvements as errors and scarcity of resources in healthcare are not at all acceptable. The Lean approach has proven to be suitable in healthcare to reduce errors, minimize waste, and obtain maximum value from less input. It is beneficial in terms of shortening hospital waiting times, reducing medical errors, providing better care at low cost, improving the quality of care, and many more. On the other side, Lean may have some demerits, as it is a tedious process that requires time and more human resources. These drawbacks can be overcome by incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the combination of Lean. In inventory management, where Lean prioritizes minimum waste and introduces a tricky balance of ordering from the suppliers on time, AI can act as a saviour by providing real-time alerts. This is only one example, and many more like Lean suggests less error in diagnosis; with AI, extraordinary image processing can be utilized for better processing. The primary objective of this book chapter is to assess the benefits of implementing AI in combination with the Lean approach to minimize resource wastage, on-time delivery and to reduce medical error, to improve the quality of healthcare for social well-being. Furthermore, challenges to the implementation of Lean AI integration in healthcare will also be explored.
