Can the Kanban Technique Reduce Medical Errors?

Author

Juhi Hegde, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Completion Date

Spring 2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Program or Discipline Name

Healthcare Informatics

Abstract

This study discusses common medical errors and the extent of harm caused in the United States and explores the application of the Kanban technique of Lean Management in the healthcare industry to reduce medical errors. It also describes various scenarios of how the visual scheduling/ signaling system has been incorporated for continuous process improvement in the clinical and non-clinical sectors of the industry based on several review articles. Furthermore, a survey study was performed in order to assess whether ‘Kanban Visual Management System’ utilization in healthcare has the ability to reduce medical errors. A convenience sample of healthcare providers was recruited to obtain an anonymous, online exploratory survey of current awareness of Lean management and Kanban techniques. The results suggest further investigation into Kanban’s applications for reducing healthcare errors is warranted.

Recommended Citation

Hegde, J. (2020). Can the Kanban Technique Reduce Medical Errors?. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.harrisburgu.edu/hcms_dandt/2