Patient safety doesn’t improve through punishment, vigilance posters, or telling people to “be more careful.” It improves when leaders design safer systems, support speaking up, and focus on learning instead of blame. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on patient safety through a Lean lens—exploring medical errors, near misses, psychological safety, leadership behaviors, and how healthcare organizations can reduce harm by fixing systems rather than blaming individuals.
Last weekend, I watched a show on the Smithsonian Channel that was an interesting contrast to the CNN show I blogged about yesterday (“A Lean Guy Watches “CNN’s 25 Shocking Medical Mistakes“). The Smithsonian show was about aviation safety: “AIR…
Did anybody else see this show hosted to Elizabeth Cohen on CNN last weekend, titled “25 Shocking Medical Mistakes“? You can see a video preview or read the transcript online. I’m not sure if the whole show is available online…
Ontario’s Peterborough Regional Medical Centre is about 18 months into their Lean transformation. They are being featured in a series of four articles in their local newspaper, the first two of which are already out. Article one: LEAN machine at…
Dr. Robert Wachter has a great column in today’s USA Today: “Column: Gregory House M.D.: RIP” and it’s republished on his blog, with its own comment section. I wrote a comment, which is awaiting moderation, and I’ll repost it here….…
I had an article published in a California newspaper and it will hopefully be picked up by others. The headline is “Scared to Death: Worry about hospital errors, not pink slime.” The article starts: The public is continually subjected to…
I don’t have any first hand experience with the country, but I have had many requests for the free first chapters of my books (Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen) from Saudi Arabia over the past few years. I’m certain there…
Here are links to some more articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest related to Lean, systems, and improvement. The “good news” stories are the last two, of course… AIM: False STEMI activations lead to costs, inappropriate cath…
This article from the Vancouver Sun caught my eye: “Outbreaks show the vital role of hospital cleaners.” The article is written by a union official (which is disclosed at the end of the piece). The author, Bonnie Pearson, is right…
Here are links to some more articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest on a number of Lean related topics: Twin boys die after morphine overdose (understaffing, poor training, & other system issues) Two years on, gov’t says…
Ken Congdon at Healthcare Technology Online recently interviewed me for this story that’s now online: Kaizen: The Key To Lean Healthcare?. Mark Graban, lean expert and co-author of an upcoming book titled Healthcare Kaizen, often compares Kaizen to the suggestion…
You might already know about the charity auctions that are running this week, ending Sunday May 6, to benefit Friends of the Orphans. I’m happy to announce four more auctions that also end on Sunday night: 2 Books: Autographed Lean…
Here are links to some varied articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest on a number of Lean related topics: NFL Draft – Player Names on Jerseys (Lean Blitz) – Chad Walters shares how the NFL got player…
