Improving operating room efficiency using lean management tools

Introducing Lean management (LM) enables the surgical process to reach considerably high levels of performance and efficiency, in addition to increased patient safety and satisfaction among healthcare professionals. This contribution presents a consolidated model of LM which has proved highly successful in improving both overall efficiency in operation rooms and patients’ perceived value of efficient hospital care. This model is based on a real case study carried out over a 3-year period. A surgical process improvement team was set up, which then designed a Process Value Flow Map using LM tools, and detected opportunities for improvement. The map reflects the patient’s journey through the process, the flow of information and materials for optimising processes. Findings from the three improvement projects described in the paper were used to (1) enhance waiting list management, (2) improve operating room scheduling criteria and sharing of surgical resources, and (3) create continuous improvement teams. The results of the study are twofold: (1) reduced waiting times for operations and (2) increased efficiency of operating rooms stemming from a cultural change in surgical resources management, particularly activity planning. A notable increase in surgical efficiency indicators was also observed, as well as the need to incorporate Lean principles into surgical intervention programming.