title: Implementing lean methods in the emergency department: the role of professions and professional status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of lean methods in an Emergency Department (ED) and the role of the professions in this process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with ED staff in a UK NHS hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lean was met with more engagement and enthusiasm by the professionals than is usually reported in the literature. The main reasons for this were a combination of a national policy, the unique clinical environment and the status of the professional project for doctors in emergency medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Single site, one-off study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The status and development of professionals involved may play a big part in the acceptability of initiatives like lean methods in health care. The longer-term sustainability of the organisational changes introduced remains open to question.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper analyses the success of lean methods in health care with reference to the professional status and stage of development of the professions involved, using the sociology of professions. This approach has not been used elsewhere.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Timmons
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Coffey
authors: Paraskevas
authors: P
authors: Vezyridis
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D024382:Professional Role; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013222:State Medicine; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D006113:United Kingdom