Effects of lean interventions supported by digital technologies on healthcare services

DIEGO TLAPA MENDOZA; TORTORELLA, GUILHERME; FOGLIATTO, FLÁVIO SANSON; KUMAR, MANEESH; MAC CAWLEY VERGARA, ALEJANDRO; VASSOLO, R. S.; LUIS ENBERG; LOPEZ, Y

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY PRESERVATION INTERNATIONAL-MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2022

1660-4601

Despite the increasing utilization of lean practices and digital technologies (DTs) related to in-dustry 4.0, the impact of such dual interventions on healthcare services remains unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of these interventions and to provide a comprehensive under-standing of these dynamics in healthcare settings. The methodology included a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines searching for lean interventions supported by DTs. Studies re-porting outcomes related to patients, quality of care, and efficiency were included. Results show that most of the improvement interventions relied on the lean methodology followed by lean combined with six sigma. The main supporting technologies were simulation and automation, while emergency departments and laboratories were the main settings. We found positive effects on outcomes related to access to service, quality of care, and the utilization of services including turnaround time, length of stay, and turnover time. Notably, we found scarce outcomes regarding patient health, staff wellbeing, resource use, and savings. This paper, the first to investigate the dual intervention of DTs with lean or lean-six sigma in healthcare, summarizes the technical and organizational challenges associated with similar interventions, encourages further research, and promotes practical applications.