A reconsideration of Lean Six Sigma in healthcare after theCOVID-19 crisis

· donderdag 6 mei 2021

A real-life example of the sudden consequences was experienced by one of the authors, when he went to a private clinic, specialized in the human musculoskeletal system, on 16 March 2020 for a total knee replacement. Within a day of his surgery he was released because the clinic had to be closed. Its ventilators and personal protective equipment were hastily transferred to surrounding hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients, and the clinic discontinued its operations for more than three months. Regular care was reduced substantially in The Netherlands because the number of patients with COVID-19 in the hospitals was extremely high. Not soon after, on 23 March 2020 the Dutch government invoked a lockdown as the numbers of hospitalizations continued to increase.