Aplicabilidade do lean healthcare no serviço de emergência médica

Abstract

The constant changes in the market and in the organizations demanded that companies adapt themselves to meet the consumers' needs. Within this process, lean emerges as an alternative management tool, bringing in its principles the reduction of waste, costs, and risks, in addition to providing an improvement in the quality of service delivery. In the health area, the term "Lean Healthcare" has been adopted and used as an organization and management strategy of the care offered to patients in hospital emergency units, aiming to solve routine problems of this sector associated with overcrowding and excessive waiting time, delays, and other demands that risk and dissatisfaction to the user. The objective of this study was to synthesize the evidence of the applicability of the Lean Healthcare method in the medical emergency sector. This is an integrative review of literature of an applied nature about the Lean Healthcare method in the healthcare sector. Data collection was performed in the databases in the months of January 2021 to April 2022 through a structured form with specifications according to its title, authors and year, methodological approach and contribution of the study. It can be observed through the research the successful application of the Lean Healthcare method in the emergency department, this being a contributing factor in management, solving deficiencies faced in this scenario and providing strategies aimed at improving the efficiency of service delivery to patients. The surveyed authors are unanimous when reporting that the method allows the service to flow satisfactorily, but there is the need for all sectors of the hospital to adopt it. The management of the medical service presents constant challenges as well as a multiplicity of players, whether professionals, users, and the managers themselves, who need to be trained and informed. It was seen that, before implementing the method, it is necessary to think about the entire flow of actions that should be adopted from primary care to the urgency and emergency network, thus improving the flow of patients with low-cost procedures. Some authors suggest the application of the method in the supply chain of hygiene materials, drugs, and in the most used equipment in the hospital environment, especially in logistics and distribution of inputs. The studies showed that, although the applicability of Lean Healthcare is unquestionable, there is a need for further research focused on the analysis of the real effectiveness of Lean Healthcare in emergency medical departments so that its effects can be thoroughly drawn in the literature.