Implementation of 5S management method for lean healthcare at a health center in Senegal: a qualitative study of staff perception

Abstract

Background5S is a lean method for workplace organization; it is an abbreviation representing five Japanese words that can be translated as sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. The 5S management method has been recognized recently as a potential solution for improving the quality of government healthcare services in low- and middle-income countries.ObjectiveTo assess how the 5S management method creates changes in the workplace and in the process and outcomes of healthcare services, and how it can be applicable in a resource-poor setting, based on data from a pilot intervention of the 5S program implemented in a health facility in Senegal.DesignIn this qualitative study, we interviewed 21 health center staff members 1 year after the pilot intervention. We asked them about their views on the changes brought on by the 5S program in their workplace, daily routines, and services provided. We then transcribed interview records and organized the narrative information by emerging themes using thematic analysis in the coding process.ResultsStudy participants indicated that, despite resource constraints and other demotivating factors present at the health center, the 5S program created changes in the work environment, including fewer unwanted items, improved orderliness, and improved labeling and directional indicators of service units. These efforts engendered changes in the quality of services (e.g. making services more efficient, patient-centered, and safe), and in the attitude and behavior of staff and patients.ConclusionsThe pilot intervention of the 5S management method was perceived to have improved the quality of healthcare services and staff motivation in a resource-poor healthcare facility with a disorderly work environment in Senegal. Quantitative and qualitative research based on a larger-scale intervention would be needed to elaborate and validate these findings and to identify the cost-effectiveness of such intervention in low- and middle-income countries.

Impact of the Japanese 5S management method on patients’ and caretakers’ satisfaction: a quasi-experimental study in Senegal

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quasi-experimental study that showed the impact of 5S in healthcare settings (18). Apart from the qualitative study conducted at the Tambacounda Health Center (17), no other study has highlighted the impact of 5S at resource-poor health facilities in LMICs. Second, the present study's results provided certain ideas about how the 5S intervention led to the increase in client satisfaction scores.…”

“…In Senegal, government health facilities experienced chronic problems related to human resources for health and pharmaceutical supplies (30). Additionally, in the qualitative study conducted at the Tambacounda Health Center, most of the health workers reported poor physical and material resources as obstacles to improving the quality of services (17). It is reasonable to assume that these resource problems were present at all of the health centers in our study.…”

“…The objectives of the pretest included the following aspects: 1) establishing a reference health center to showcase the 5S method, 2) testing and validating the 5S training instruments, and 3) obtaining preliminary insight into a viable intervention protocol that would be standardized and subsequently used in the eight study facilities. The activities conducted in connection with this pretest are included in a qualitative research study conducted at the Tambacounda Health Center (17). …”

“…The impact of 5S, often combined with other lean methods, has been researched in the health sectors of the United States (10–13), India (14), Jordan (15), Sri Lanka (16), and Senegal (17). However, little is known about its impact on healthcare-service users.…”

Utilização Da Metodologia Dmaic Em Um Hospital Da Rede Pública Federal Com Foco Em Melhoria Da Previsão De Demanda Por Consultas

“…Entre os estudos mais comuns da metodologia é possível encontrar na literatura um framework geral para implementação do Lean em instituições de saúde é implementado (Yu et al, 2015), Benchmarking de melhores práticas (Narayanamurthy & Gurumurthy 2016), estudo de tempos e movimentos (Fisher et al, 2016), e 5S (Kanamori et al, 2015).…”