Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Lean Healthcare for Home Healthcare Operations: Multi-Case Study in Colombia

  • William J. Guerrero (correspondent_author)
  • , Nubia Velasco
  • , Andrés F. Torres
  • , Laura Duarte
  • , Carlos Montoya
  • , Andrea Lamprea
  • Universidad de los Andes Colombia
  • Universidad Javeriana
  • Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This research aims to apply Lean Healthcare principles to home healthcare. The objective is to identify the wastes (muda in Japanese) in the delivery of home healthcare services. A multi-case study with a series of focus groups with healthcare staff and administrative personnel from three different healthcare institutions in Bogotá and Cali was performed. Nurses, physicians, therapists and administrative staff participated in the study. The eight types of muda are characterized in the operation: waiting times, transportation, inventory, movements, overprocessing activities, defects, non-value-added activities, and underutilization of staff. The most frequent muda are associated to the planning of routes for the operation and scheduling the visits, the body postures required to examine patients in a home setting, and the difficulties to transport medium and large equipment. Participant struggled the most with identifying muda associated with underutilization of staff. These results allow to provide insights for better home healthcare services.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLecture Notes in Production Engineering
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages347-355
Number of pages9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2025

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Production Engineering
VolumePart F566
ISSN (Print)2194-0525
ISSN (Electronic)2194-0533

Strategic Focuses

  • Vida Humana Plena (Vita)​

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lean Healthcare for Home Healthcare Operations: Multi-Case Study in Colombia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this