Optimization of a surgical process through Lean Thinking

In the recent years, the concept of quality in healthcare has risen attention, therefore care facilities are evolving their offering looking at the patient experience and safety. In this direction, health services are transmuting into curing processes, considering the patient flow within the hospital as a continuum, where complexity and heterogeneity of care are the main pillars of this new healthcare vision. After the remarkable impacts regarding costs reduction and quality enhancement obtained in manufacturing companies, where lean thinking has been applied, curiosity has attracted healthcare companies as well. This thesis aimed to address the improvement opportunities hidden in the surgical process of a private hospital. Through a lean thinking approach has been performed a direct observation followed by a mapping of the whole process in order to understand the current inefficiencies embedded in the activities along the process. The private hospital Villa Donatello shows a great attention to the patient experience and comfort, at the same time, organization of the whole process lacks of efficiency during numerous phases. Repetition of tasks, workarounds, delays are some of the wastes affecting the company procedures. The main waste has been recognized in the non utilization of material resources which represent an important burden to be reduced.