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Evaluating The Concepts Of Health Quality Management That Have Been Adapted From Manufacturing Environments

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This paper aims to discuss practicality of approaches and methodologies in health quality management that have been adapted from manufacturing environments. It is evident that many management practices in health service organisations have been imported successfully from the corporate world. There are a number of different methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints used in the industry for quality improvement. In today’s fast changing environment healthcare is struggling with decreasing resources and cost control. Healthcare industry has embraced tools and methodologies from other industries with great value and advantages. With these methodologies, more organizations are considering technological and operational…show more content…
It aims to identify areas of inefficiency and generate ways of cost saving. Post World War II in the 1950’s in Japan, Toyota was able to use Lean as an improvement approach to improve flow and eliminate waste. It occurred that a series of simple innovations might make it more possible to provide both continuity in process flow and a wide variety in product offerings.
Lean methodology allows identifying operational waste in forms of overproducing, waiting times, unnecessary resources and transporting. The waste products can be identified with patient journey map which shows the flow of processes and patient experience. Within the Lean process, the term “value-added” is used to describe any activity that contributes directly to satisfying the needs of the client. “No value-added” refers to any activity that takes up time, space or resources which doesn’t contribute directly to patient satisfaction. The most useful tools in Lean methodology are value stream mapping, time measurement, visual management tools, the 5S system (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain), and process mapping. The core values of Lean management encourages team work and continuous improvement. It is apparent that Lean promotes no punitive culture that avoids casting blame. It uses teamwork to analyse the problems then identify the cause of problems from the root.
The health sector is understood to be a complex
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