2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Across the world, hospitals faced a crisis in personnel and supply chain management during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While demand for nurses was at an all-time high, hospital staff, especially in emergency departments, were frequently exposed to the virus causing additional shortages due to illness. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed for sterile environments and single use conditions were now limited or completely out-of-stock. At one flagship emergency department in the Midwest, lean techniques were utilized to increase the safety of employees, while mitigating other risks such as personnel fatigue, cross-contamination, supply chain shortages and virus spread. This work demonstrates the effectiveness and speed with which lean techniques can be implemented to support appropriate staffing levels and balancing of workflow, flow of inventory, and facility layout using tools such as 5S, Kanban systems, visual management and resource allocation.
This presentation will provide the audience with an overview of the lean methodologies used, as well as a review of the data analysis after implementation. Those who attend the presentation will also be provided with a copy of a case study prepared for classroom use illustrating concepts in lean healthcare, operations management and safe operations in pandemic conditions.