Effects of Lean Interventions Supported by Digital Technologies on Healthcare Services: A Systematic Review

Diego Tlapa, Guilherme Tortorella, Flavio Fogliatto, Maneesh Kumar, Alejandro Mac Cawley, Roberto Vassolo, Luis Enberg and Yolanda Baez-Lopez
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Diego Tlapa: Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Ensenada 23080, Mexico
Guilherme Tortorella: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Flavio Fogliatto: Industrial Engineering Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90010-150, Brazil
Maneesh Kumar: Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK
Roberto Vassolo: IAE Business School, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires B1630FHB, Argentina
Luis Enberg: Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial y de Sistemas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
Yolanda Baez-Lopez: Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Ensenada 23080, Mexico

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-23

Abstract: Despite the increasing utilization of lean practices and digital technologies (DTs) related to Industry 4.0, the impact of such dual interventions on healthcare services remains unclear. This study aims to assess the effects of those interventions and provide a comprehensive understanding of their dynamics in healthcare settings. The methodology comprised a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines, searching for lean interventions supported by DTs. Previous studies reporting outcomes related to patient health, patient flow, quality of care, and efficiency were included. Results show that most of the improvement interventions relied on 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. Most interventions focus on patient flow outcomes, reporting positive effects on outcomes related to access to service and utilization of services, including reductions in turnaround time, length of stay, waiting time, 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.

Keywords: Healthcare 4.0; lean healthcare; automation; simulation; process improvement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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