Leveling the Workload for Radiologists in Diagnostic Mammography: Application of Lean Principles and Heijunka

6Citations
Citations of this article
25Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

To facilitate the delivery of accurate and timely care to patients in complex environments, process improvement methodologies such as Lean can be very effective. Lean is a quality improvement methodology that seeks to add value for patients and employees by continuously improving processes and eliminating waste. At our institution, Lean principles were applied to improve efficiency and minimize waste in the diagnostic breast imaging reading room. This paper describes how we applied Lean principles, including plan-do-study-act testing, level-loading (heijunka), and visual management, to level the workload of the diagnostic radiologists in our practice. Implementation of these principles to improve the diagnostic workflow in breast imaging is described along with examples from our practice, including challenges and future opportunities.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Conners, A. L., Clark, S. E., Brandt, K. R., Hunt, K. N., Chida, L. M., Tibor, L. C., … Khanani, S. A. (2022). Leveling the Workload for Radiologists in Diagnostic Mammography: Application of Lean Principles and Heijunka. Journal of Breast Imaging, 4(1), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1093/jbi/wbab090

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free