Application of international experience in lean production within the concept of sustainable development of healthcare settings

Introduction. The article presents a study on application of lean manufacturing (lean production) model to improve process and resource management of healthcare settings at the modern stage of healthcare development. The purpose of the article is to explore the application of lean manufacturing (lean production) model to solve problems of national health systems and sustainable development of healthcare settings on the basis of international experience, and to introduce the author's model of integration of lean production and the concept of sustainable development. Materials and Methods. The research methods include General scientific methods of empirical and theoretical knowledge, General logical methods and techniques, methods of system analysis, comparisons and analogies, generalization, and the author’s socio-hygienic study of factors influencing sustainability of healthcare settings in modern conditions. Results. The author identifies the major problems of healthcare industry in a range of countries, the solution of which lies in sustainable development. It is noted that the focus of researchers of health systems in different countries, is, on the one hand, on improving the quality of medical care to the population under the economical expenditure of funds and other resources, on the other hand, on the problem of ensuring the activities of healthcare settings aimed at achieving the maximum benefit from available financial, material and human resources. It is emphasized that technology of lean production and six Sigma (Lean Six Sigma (LSS)) is a widely used method for process improvement in spheres of production and services. The article analyses significant issues of using lean manufacturing model and six Sigma to achieve sustainability of healthcare settings and solve a number of problems of national health systems. The author presents the results of sociological and expert poll of managers, defining key directions for improving processes in healthcare settings to achieve sustainability of their development. The article introduces the author's approach to the integration of lean principles and the concept of sustainable development of healthcare settings. Conclusions. The author concludes that introduction of certain principles of lean production can contribute to sustainable development of healthcare settings.