Factors Influencing Poka-Yoke Implementation in the Healthcare Industry

Over the years, Poka-Yoke has been underutilized in healthcare and is counted as an under-researched area due to the paucity of systematic literature reviews and comprehensive studies. In today’s uncertain times with imperative pressure looming over the healthcare industry, it is essential to explore the applications of Poka-Yoke to error-proof healthcare systems. The recognition of factors that influence its implementation becomes critical due to the complexity of the requirements present in healthcare settings. This paper aims at reporting a systematic literature review that examines the existing literature with the objective of exploring the applicability of Poka-Yoke in healthcare settings and identifying factors that affect its deployment in healthcare organizations. The analysis evidenced examples of Poka-Yoke applications and enlisted five key influential factors that can help a hospital in determining its Poka-Yoke readiness and contribute towards improving value generation by increasing patient safety, staff, and patient happiness, promoting productivity, and reducing costs. This review provides researchers with future directions to further explore lacunae in the present literature on Poka-Yoke methodology which organizations can use to judge their readiness for the successful implementation of Poka-Yoke.