Question

Explain how leader standard work relates to the lean management system model and discuss why it is a critical component of ensuring continuous quality improvement in health care

Answer 1

To answer this question first we have to understand the meaning of a lean management system. This Lean management system model is adopted in institutions that seek the idea of constant improvement and development in long term by entertaining little incremental changes in effectiveness and quality of work process.

At leans very core is the elimination of wasteful activities through continuous improvement but without a baseline, these improvements can not occur. This is where leader standard work comes into play in order to know that the changes that are being made are actually an improvement. For any improvement in an organization, there must be some foundation to build upon and that is why standard work is said to be the backbone of all lean transformation. It allows the employees to express their creative Kaizen spirit improving the quality and efficiency of work. Leader standard work sets in place a consistent repeatable and efficient approach that guarantees quality from start to finish by ensuring that each person works according to the current best practices.

From the above-mentioned points, it is quite understandable why it is a critical component of ensuring continuous quality improvement in health care since healthcare is said to be one of the most complex and difficult industry. It requires a qualified and reliable workforce and there is almost no room for error in this high stake market. Patients in healthcare expect a treatment plan with the highest quality and dependability. In order to ensure that every patient is getting such a level of quality care, there must be a consistent method of providing them. When there is no such standard for how work should be done, healthcare personals are forced to use all their mental energy trying to figure out how to perform their job. This leaves them with a little time to look for spaces where improvements can occur. Once they are provided with that, they are free to examine the patient they are working on, the environment they are working in, and how good they are in caring for the patient.