One of the key factors in designing hospitals and improving operating practices is to take the viewpoints of employees and patients into consideration. Granlund Consulting’s Senior Consultant Jori Reijula aims to increase user-orientation and the utilisation of smart technology within Finnish health care.
”A new approach is required because hospital personnel are ageing alongside patients, who are increasingly suffering multiple illnesses. The Lean ideology is a suitable framework for health care services, and it can offer a multitude of development opportunities as part of the social and health care reform underway in Finland,” Reijula says.
Lean emphasises employees’ ability to find their own solutions to make work more efficient and enjoyable.
”The Lean approach seeks to utilise resources as carefully as possible while generating value for users. In hospitals, Lean aims to ensure the well-being of personnel as well as patients, while improving the fluidity of patient streams and working processes. This requires seamless accessibility and ergonomics.”
Designing user-oriented premises
In Lean processes, premises and operations are designed around the hospital employees’ visions of an ideal working environment. ”The users of the premises are experts in the technical and operational environment of the hospital, and that is why they should be included in the project. The earlier the better,” Reijula says.
Lean also promotes collaboration between the various units in the hospital. Reijula envisages the clinical pathway becoming the guiding light for the design of future care processes, premises and equipment. The employees in different units will organise their day-to-day work together on the patient’s terms.
Further information:
Jori Reijula
Senior Consultant, Advisory Services
Granlund Consulting Oy
Tel: +358 45 847 1133
firstname.lastname@granlund.fi
