Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare: A Systematic Literature Review on Challenges, Organisational Readiness and Critical Success Factors

Olivia McDermott, Jiju Antony, Shreeranga Bhat, Raja Jayaraman, Angelo Rosa, Giuliano Marolla, Ratri Parida

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been applied in many healthcare organisations, but there has been limited research on the evolution of LSS application in healthcare. This paper aims to present the challenges, critical success factors (CSFs), readiness factors and most common tools and techniques used for LSS deployment in healthcare. A systematic literature review (SLR) was utilised to research the study objectives. Peer-reviewed literature over a 16-year period was studied to understand the deliverables of LSS. The SLR process identified relevant articles and screened a final selection for those under study. The systematic literature review helped the authors to identify the challenges and tools/techniques used for LSS in healthcare. Several CSFs and readiness factors for LSS deployment in healthcare are also presented. This work informs healthcare managers and professionals on the important factors for successful LSS deployment before embarking on the LSS journey. In addition, this work is a valuable resource for healthcare LSS practitioners and academic researchers to learn about, investigate and deploy LSS in the healthcare sector. This study is one of the most comprehensive SLRs covering the importance and specificity of understanding challenges, CSFs and organisational readiness for LSS in healthcare. This study provides knowledge of the successful deployment of LSS in healthcare.

Original languageBritish English
Article number1945
JournalProcesses
Volume10
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • challenges
  • critical success factors
  • healthcare
  • lean
  • organisational readiness
  • Six Sigma
  • systematic literature review
  • tools

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare: A Systematic Literature Review on Challenges, Organisational Readiness and Critical Success Factors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this