Lean Management in an IVF Laboratory

The early spread of Lean started in the auto industry. Toyota gained knowledge from others and developed its own management system by employing and inventing methods that fit its needs and situation. It developed the Toyota Production System, called “LEAN”. In healthcare, Lean transformation is a process of changing old mindsets and organizational cultures. It is a long-term process that takes time and effort from the whole organization. Lean management is not to solve major problems of the organization, it is about hundreds or thousands of small problems that occur in the system every day. We have to learn together, think together, and start taking action to improve every day, and continue doing so as long as we can. The ultimate goal of Lean is to provide products/services at a lower cost and higher quality, to increase the value of our products/services to our customers. IVF demand has been increasing worldwide, yet competition has been fiercer. The IVF cost has been increasing. Lean management in IVF laboratories that aims to improve IVF lab procedure flow, reducing risks/errors, adding value to IVF lab services. As the IVF business has developed very fast, IVF staff shortages are a big issue. Overworked conditions in IVF laboratories can harm procedure quality, patient safety, service quality and lead to losing staff and patients. Lean management can help us to improve the lab flow and efficiency and reduce the pressure of staff shortages. By improving efficiency, reducing errors, and adding value to the service, it will accumulatively provide a better-quality service with less costs. The presentation describes how our system in Vietnam approached and applied Lean management in IVF laboratories to reduce waste, improve laboratory quality with staff involvement and satisfaction.