The Public Administration (PA), in particular the healthcare sector, is in constant need of reducing waste and improving the utilisation of its resources. After Sistema Sanitario Nazionale was born in Italy in 1978 with the main aim of overcoming regional unbalanced equilibria of social-health conditions, problems arose, such as the absence of sufficient financial support and frictions to innovative changes in this domain. On the other hand, Lean techniques have been extensively used in the manufacturing and related sectors, reaching the healthcare industry just in recent times. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how lean techniques can be applied successfully in the healthcare sector and specifically in the warehouse domain. To fill this gap, a case study was performed inside ASST Lodi, a public healthcare provider in northern Italy. The company is undergoing an innovation process inside their logistics department and is aiming to implement lean techniques to reduce waste and improve performance. This project was developed using the Double Diamond framework to follow all the innovative processes the company was facing. The main techniques applied were the identification of non- value-adding activities, the seven wastes, and SMED for the standardisation of the main processes. Moreover, visual management and ergonomic practises were applied in other areas too. The main results obtained were the reduction of updating stock level time from two days to minutes; from the receiving process influencing all the downstream actors; and a higher picking density in a lower space occupied of -47%. In conclusion, these outcomes lead us to affirm that lean techniques can be effectively applied in the healthcare warehousing environment.
La Pubblica Amministrazione (PA), in particolare il settore sanitario, è costantemente impegnata a ridurre gli sprechi e a migliorare l'utilizzo delle risorse interne. In seguito alla nascita in Italia del Sistema Sanitario nazionale nel 1978 con l'obiettivo principale di superare le condizioni sociosanitarie sbilanciate del nostro paese, sono emersi problemi, quali l'assenza di un sostanziale supporto economico e gli attriti nei confronti di progetti innovativi. Intanto le tecniche Lean sono state ampiamente utilizzate nel settore manifatturiero e in altri simili, raggiungendo il settore sanitario solo negli ultimi anni. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di contribuire alla comprensione di come le tecniche Lean possono essere applicate con successo nel settore sanitario nei suoi magazzini. Per colmare questo gap, abbiamo analizzato un caso di studio nel settore pubblico della sanità italiana, con l’ASST Lodi, relativo al trasferimento di un magazzino farmaceutico dalla sede esistente a una nuova. Questo progetto è stato sviluppato utilizzando il framework Double Diamond per seguire tutto il processo innovativo che l'azienda stava affrontando. Sono state utilizzate tecniche come l’identificazione delle attività a valore aggiunto accanto ai 7 wastes e le tecniche SMED per la standardizzazione dei principali processi. Inoltre, visual management e le pratiche ergonomiche sono state applicate anche nelle altre aree. I principali risultati ottenuti sono stati la riduzione del tempo di aggiornamento del livello di stock, da due giorni ad alcuni minuti, nel processo di ricezione che ha influenzato tutti gli attori a valle; una maggiore densità di picking in uno spazio occupato inferiore del -47%. In conclusione, questi risultati ci portano ad affermare che le tecniche Lean possono essere applicate in modo efficiente nell'ambiente del magazzino sanitario.
Efficiency improvements in healthcare warehousing through lean approach : a PA case study
DURI, FRANCESCO;BILANCIA, ALESSIA
2021/2022
Abstract
The Public Administration (PA), in particular the healthcare sector, is in constant need of reducing waste and improving the utilisation of its resources. After Sistema Sanitario Nazionale was born in Italy in 1978 with the main aim of overcoming regional unbalanced equilibria of social-health conditions, problems arose, such as the absence of sufficient financial support and frictions to innovative changes in this domain. On the other hand, Lean techniques have been extensively used in the manufacturing and related sectors, reaching the healthcare industry just in recent times. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how lean techniques can be applied successfully in the healthcare sector and specifically in the warehouse domain. To fill this gap, a case study was performed inside ASST Lodi, a public healthcare provider in northern Italy. The company is undergoing an innovation process inside their logistics department and is aiming to implement lean techniques to reduce waste and improve performance. This project was developed using the Double Diamond framework to follow all the innovative processes the company was facing. The main techniques applied were the identification of non- value-adding activities, the seven wastes, and SMED for the standardisation of the main processes. Moreover, visual management and ergonomic practises were applied in other areas too. The main results obtained were the reduction of updating stock level time from two days to minutes; from the receiving process influencing all the downstream actors; and a higher picking density in a lower space occupied of -47%. In conclusion, these outcomes lead us to affirm that lean techniques can be effectively applied in the healthcare warehousing environment.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/195020