Promoting lean management and healthy healthcare workers in nursing departments in Switzerland

Abstract

More and more hospitals are introducing Lean approaches to counteract economic pressure and to increase their efficiency. Previous research shows that introducing Lean brings certain economic benefits for hospitals. However, studies also indicate a negative impact on employee well-being. In the project described in this chapter, we followed an innovative approach to implement Lean and simultaneously maintain employee well-being by offering specific workshops to address working conditions and employee health. The results of our evaluation showed partial success. In general, compared to the control group, the situation in the intervention group remained stable, whereas the control group, without workshops, experienced a deterioration of working conditions and health in the same period.