A lean management process is a set of interventions, each of
which creates value for the customer. Lean management is not a new concept,
but is relatively new to health care. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)
is the most common cause of maternal death worldwide in both developing
and developed countries. We applied lean management principles
as an innovative approach to improving outcomes in patients with PPH.
Initial results using principles of lean management indicated signifi cant
improvements in response time and family-centered care. When applied
rigorously and throughout the organization, lean principles can have a
dramatic eff ect on productivity, cost and quality.