This study aims to analyse the long-term impacts of Lean Healthcare implementation in a 24-h Emergency Care Unit.
A total of 204 health-care professionals were interviewed to determine the most impactful factors from the staff’s perspective. In addition, 104 service users were interviewed to assess the main impacts from the users’ perspective. The average patient care times in 2024 were compared with those from 2019 to 2020 to highlight the key changes in this indicator.
The findings from this single-case study revealed a sustained reduction of over 65% in service time and positive changes in the perspectives of both staff and service users. In total, 95% of staff reported a perceived improvement in the value delivered to users since 2020. In terms of overall user experience, the Emergency Care Unit that underwent Lean Six Sigma training achieved a score 19.4% higher than the control unit.
This study’s main limitation is its focus on a single unit and a relatively small sample size of service users. This limitation reduces the ability to draw generalisations. However, it highlights opportunities for further research in relatively unexplored field.
The reduction in service time and increased user satisfaction, even under conditions of overcapacity, suggests a great potential of Lean practices to improve efficiency and quality in urgent care settings. Lean solution could be used by health-care managers to deliver better outcomes without necessarily increasing financial resources.
By eliminating waste and enhancing operations, Lean Healthcare can enable more effective and humanised care and help maximise public resources. It is particularly critical for health-care service sustainability and equity in high-demand settings.
This study presents rare evidence of medium-term impacts of Lean Healthcare observed in a Brazilian public emergency care unit. By integrating operational metrics, staff perceptions and user preferences, the research offers a more comprehensive understanding of Lean Healthcare’s potential as a sustainable and effective approach within public health systems.
