Examples Of Lean Thinking In Healthcare

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So what is meant by “lean thinking”? Simply put, lean means using less to do more. Lean methods were originally used effectively in the manufacturing industry.“Muda” is the Japanese term for waste and is used extensively in the Toyota Production System where the question is asked: “What does the customer want from this process?” Lean thinking has not typically been applied in the healthcare arena until recently where several medical centers are exploring this waste-not method. Death or injury is the worst kind of waste in the healthcare industry. There are seven types of waste in the healthcare system. These are overproduction, waste of time, too much inventory, wasted movement, defects, waste in transporting items, and waste in processing.