{"product_id":"2940014663977","title":"Lean in the OR","description":"Lean can be applied to healthcare operations, and one of the biggest areas of opportunity for improvement in a hospital is the management of the OR. This book is also available for immediate download as an ebook (PDF). Please select the ebook category to select the ebook version.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book is a collection of 11 chapters on Lean in the OR, including the following topics:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1: Eliminating Waste in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2: Managing “A” Items in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3: The Par Level Myth Exposed\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4: Kanban Systems in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5: Standard Work in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 6: Quick Changeover in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 7: Instrument Set Flow in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 8: Is the Invasive Center the Future?\u003cbr\u003eChapter 9: Staff Engagement in the OR\u003cbr\u003eChapter 10: Prioritizing Instrument Sets\u003cbr\u003eChapter 11: Use of Checklists in the OR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout the Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIs Lean, a philosophy and method originally developed in the world of manufacturing, applicable to an environment like an OR? After all, human beings are not products, and the complexity and variety of challenges found in the OR dwarf most manufactured products. These are some of the understandable questions and concerns that are raised when we talk about Lean in the OR. The concerns reveal, however, a lack of understanding about what Lean actually is. It may seem foreign or exotic, something that might work for a Toyota but certainly not for us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is no disagreement, however, that something needs to change. Healthcare costs are going up much faster than incomes or inflation, and something (one way or another) will need to give. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, personal income taxes would need to increase by 75% to cover the increase in government healthcare cost. Another source estimates that by 2020 the average household will be spending around $25,000 per year on health insurance alone. As a potential tool for healthcare improvement, let’s take a look at some of the main characteristics of Lean, and see if we might have a fit in the OR.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLean is based on the scientific method. Continual improvements are made by experimentation, trying things out, keeping what works and discarding what doesn’t. The Lean improvement model is called PDCA, Plan-Do-Check-Act. This approach is 100% compatible with our goals in the OR, or for “evidence-based practice”. There is certainly nothing exotic about this, other than the extraordinary focus that Lean organizations put on improvement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLean requires engagement. Lean is not about an outside expert coming into the OR and telling you how to do things the Lean way. It is team-based and requires the involvement and input of everyone in the department. Big changes may be needed, but often many small changes, suggested and implemented by department members, is what moves you forward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLean is primarily a philosophy. As opposed to being a collection of methods and tools, Lean is primarily a process improvement philosophy centered on the elimination of waste and improvement in patient flow. We may need to develop new tools and methods over time, but what is critical is a commitment to continuous improvement. There’s a Japanese word for that: kaizen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLean is not a cost-cutting or a headcount reduction program. We do expect costs to drop, and the number of people we need may change as improvements are made. But people do not lose their jobs by making improvements, and costs will be lowered through a relentless focus on elimination of waste.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnother clear indication that Lean can be applied effectively in the OR is the fact that it is already being done. Although manufacturing has a 30 year head-start over hospitals in applying Lean, there are pioneers across the world that have been applying these methods for close to a decade. The commitment continues to grow within the hospital community and no one (as far as we know) have yet said “This won’t work”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing in this book are a series of eleven essays on various topics related to Lean in the OR. They are intended not to be a comprehensive analysis of each topic, but rather a way to get the juices flowing and the discussions happening. And while we don’t think that Lean is the answer to all of the healthcare system challenges that we have, there is no doubt that it is making a big and positive contribution. Getting Lean is not an optional activity. It’s a requirement!","brand":"Flow Publishing Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47083846140144,"sku":"2940014663977","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014663977_p0.jpg?v=1763613067","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014663977","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}