Lean management
Quality Management
Definition. Lean management is an improvement approach that seeks to maximise value for the patient by identifying and removing waste in processes.
Explanation
Lean principles specify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull and pursue perfection (Womack & Jones, 1996). In emergency departments, structured Lean transformations have reduced waiting and length of stay (Naik et al., 2012).
Lean thinking can also support risk management, although integration with safety science is still developing (Mendes & França, 2025). Failures often stem from using Lean tools without changing culture or leadership behaviour.
Related concepts
Six Sigma Patient flow Bottleneck Continuous quality improvement Waiting time
Read on The Health Topics
- Lean Transformation in a Public Hospital Emergency Department
- Understanding Lean Principles in Healthcare Risk Management
References
Mendes, L., & França, G. (2025). Lean thinking and risk management in healthcare organizations: A systematic literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 42 (3), 851-892. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-06-2023-0210
Naik, T., Duroseau, Y., Zehtabchi, S., Rinnert, S., Payne, R., McKenzie, M., & Legome, E. (2012). A structured approach to transforming a large public hospital emergency department via lean methodologies. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 34 (2), 86–97.
Womack, J. P., & Jones, D. T. (1996). Lean thinking: Banish waste and create wealth in your corporation. Simon & Schuster.
Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Lean management. In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/lean-management/
Articles that discuss this concept
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