Five years of Lean Six Sigma in the healthcare: an overview of main tools and results

Lean thinking in healthcare focuses on simplifying processes by acknowledging value-added activities from the patient’s perspective and applying it to services that can reduce waste. The concept of Six Sigma theory offers an approach to problem solving and involves a strong organizational framework consisting of a redesigning a product, which then results in the elimination of defects. Over the last decade, a strong synergy between Lean and Six Sigma has developed, creating Lean Six Sigma. Several researchers investigated best practices to implement Lean Six Sigma in healthcare. The following presents summaries of the literature. Nineteen studies published in the last five years have been included.