Agile Models and Lean Methods in Healthcare: The State of the Art
摘要
With the current trend in the healthcare sector, there is a growing concern on how both efficiency and operational costs can be improved and at the same time provide better patient-centric services. For this reason, the Agile and Lean strategies that were actually imported from the manufacturing and software development industries appear to have a great promise in relieving some of these pressures. This paper, in turn, focuses specifically on the implementation of the Agile models and methodologies referred to as Lean within the healthcare system. Using clinical examples and literature review, we explore the possibility of these methodologies improving process efficiencies, enabling cooperation and collaborations as well as improving patient care. We conclude that stakeholders are more satisfied with the outcomes of the projects delivered within the Agile timeframes while Lean principles lead to a non-wasteful working environment. In spite of the resistance to change and the complex nature of healthcare systems and processes, this work, outcome or study shows that Agile and Lean approaches work in the transformation process in healthcare. The article ends with suggested actions about the joint application of both types of approaches to satisfy the changing demands of the healthcare provision.