Abstract
Healthcare services are facing challenges in increasing their efficiency, quality of care, and coping with surges in demand. To this end, some hospitals have implemented lean healthcare. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effects of lean healthcare (LH) interventions on inpatient care and determine whether patient flow and efficiency outcomes improve. The review was performed according to PRISMA. We used six databases to search for studies published from 2002 to 2019. Out of 5732 studies, 39 measuring one or more defined outcomes were included. Hospital length of stay (LOS) was measured in 23 studies, 16 of which reported a reduction, turnover time (TOT) decreased in six out of eight studies, while the turnaround time (TAT) and on-time starts (OTS) improved in all five and seven studies, respectively. Moreover, eight out of nine studies reported an earlier discharge time, and the boarding time decreased in all four cases. Meanwhile, the readmission rate did not increase in all nine studies. Lastly, staff and patient satisfaction improved in all eight studies. Our findings show that by focusing on reducing non-value-added activities, LH contributed to improving patient flow and efficiency within inpatient care.
Highlights
In addition to the constant demand to improve their quality of care, hospitals are facing challenges in increasing their efficiency [1], reducing costs [2], and coping with surges in demand, while providing greater value to patients
On the basis of our findings, we have summarized the main results from the lean healthcare (LH) interventions within inpatient care
Excessive length of stay (LOS) is critical for both patient safety and hospital costs, delays in some procedures might lead to an extended stay and increase discomfort among hospitalized patients and compromise the capacity of beds
Summary
In addition to the constant demand to improve their quality of care, hospitals are facing challenges in increasing their efficiency [1], reducing costs [2], and coping with surges in demand, while providing greater value to patients Inefficiencies such as inadequate resource utilization and poor patient flow, might contribute to care delays and overcrowding, affecting the safety of patients, staff/patient satisfaction, and the overall care quality [3,4]. Patient flow is the movement of patients through care settings [5] It encompasses the physical resources, medical care, and internal systems required to get patients from the admission to the discharge while preserving quality and patient/staff satisfaction [6]. Both inpatient and outpatient care present opportunities to increase efficiency [7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
