Lean techniques and lean management principles have been utilized effectively in the manufacturing sector since the early 1980s and have since been introduced into service industries. Whether in manufacturing or service industries, lean has concentrated on identifying value-adding processes and removing waste from the system. In recent times its introduction into health care organizations is gaining increased attention.

The application of lean in healthcare has focused on improving the safety, quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery in areas such as improving information and communication flow, the delivery of innovations to drive continuous service delivery improvement, redesigning the patient journey to improve access and reduce waiting times, medical supply chain management, implementation of IT solutions, and policy implications ranging from the local organizational level to decisions on national healthcare policy. Lean has been implemented both in large health institutions and across the wider area of health service delivery systems that they are a part of. It has been found that lean can have a positive impact in healthcare on timely delivery of services, cost, quality and healthcare productivity.

We welcome the submission of papers which combine some of the following characteristics:

Present case studies of the successful (or unsuccessful) implementation of lean
Examine the different experiences of lean in healthcare and explore the reasons for these differences
Examine the acceptance of or resistance to the implementation of manufacturing techniques in healthcare
Focus on the impact of the involvement of senior management and different levels of governance on the implementation of lean programs
Recognize the costs and benefits of the implementation of lean compared with other improvement techniques
Explore interrelationships between lean and other improvement activities
Contain cross-institutional, cross-national or international studies
Locate national studies within the context of international initiatives and perspectives.

This is an indicative list only, and the editors would welcome any additional contributions that systematically address the introduction of lean in healthcare. Though there is a preference for empirical research, editors do not wish to limit the range of methodologies that may be presented.


Publication schedule

Full paper submission 21 January 2013
Review reports to authors 18 March 2013
Revised paper submission 20 May 2013
Final manuscripts to publisher 22 July 2013
Publication date 1 November 2013