Shifting Culture in Healthcare

It is a fascinating idea, and it is (and will be) proved to be successful: implementing a new way to achieve better healthcare. From Tommy Douglas to Lean, Saskatchewan ran already a multitude of processes to improve healthcare (listen to podcast here). There is also debate on implementing Lean in healthcare, and many are also skeptical on the results. So how do we shift culture in healthcare?

People have to look at the processes from a patient's perspective, and whether you call it Lean, 4Dx or something else, this will not change the basic idea, that the ultimate person of interest is the patient (and not the physician). Removing waste, removing what is of no value and shift your viewpoint will ultimately make a difference. Sadly, leadership and healthcare management want to 'kill the mosquitoes' , without 'draining the swamp'. That means assigning a person to 'do the improvement work', and come back and report (while being held accountable for failures). But the data out there- and the examples from many Lean organizations- prove that improvement without senior management involvement is difficult, if not impossible to achieve long term.

My opinion on culture shifting: start talking about improvement, talk about tools and what is being done out there. Make nurses aware that they have power to improve their workplaces, and encourage involvement. Healthcare improvement happens everywhere in the world, and it is a real movement, not a fad. We can slow it down, but we can't stop it. So you are either be prepared, or find yourself on a burning platform!