tl;dr Lean should reduce hospital overwork and unsafe understaffing — not justify them. True Lean, as practiced at Toyota, treats overburden (muri) as a serious problem, prioritizes patient safety and staff well-being, and invests in understanding real work before setting staffing levels. When hospitals cut staff in the name of “efficiency,” that’s not Lean — it’s short-term thinking that puts patients and caregivers at risk. Hospitals struggling with overwork, burnout, and chronic understaffing are not … Continue reading Lean Should Be the Solution to Hospital Overwork and Understaffing — Not the Cause