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Application of lean thinking to health care: issues and observations

International Journal for Quality in Health CarePublished 19 August 2009Open access
T.C.M. Joosten, Inge Bongers, R.T.J.M. Janssen
Citations411
SJR quartileQ2
SJR score0.85
SNIP1.11
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TL;DR

An overview of lean thinking and its application to health care is presented, believing lean thinking has the potential to improve health care delivery and there are methodological and practical considerations that need to be taken into account.

Abstract

We believe lean thinking has the potential to improve health care delivery. At the same time, there are methodological and practical considerations that need to be taken into account. Otherwise, lean implementation will be superficial and fail, adding to existing resistance and making it more difficult to improve health care in the long term.

Keywords

Health ProfessionsBusiness, Management and Accounting