Lean and Six Sigma Impact on Operating Room Safety Attitudes and Efficiency

Non-healthcare organizations have utilized Lean Six Sigma methodologies for several decades to eliminate waste, decrease expenses, and improve efficiency. This approach to problem-solving can be successfully applied to health care process improvement projects. Health care leaders and front line staff can use a prescribed set of steps to define steps in care processes and identify potential solutions. Health care leaders can use Lean Six Sigma tools such a fishbone diagram or a cause and effect matrix to identify issues. After carefully organizing the problems into groups according to priority, leaders can develop action steps toward resolution