Improvements In The Manufacturing Industry Vs Healthcare Industry

Improvements in the manufacturing industry versus healthcare industry Name Institution Date The healthcare industry has adopted innovations from the manufacturing industry based on the assumptions that they will also result in better performance. However, there are differences between the health care organizations and the manufacturing industry as health practitioners address patient health concerns while manufacturers make products (Kaissi, 2012). For the manufacturing principles to be more effective in health care there is a need to overcome the cultural and practical barriers, as health care is less standardized and health practices differ from manufacturing (Kaissi, 2012). The promise of integrating manufacturing principles into health care is that this will improve quality and performance, but these principles are not easily transferable to health care and the standardized processes are less effective when targeting humans and their needs. Manufacturing principles have been integrated in healthcare to address process improvement and enhance patient care. Just like these principles optimize time, resources and productivity, they are integrated in healthcare to get better services when the workflows are optimized. Now, health care organizations in the USA tend to use computer systems rather than the manual system and lean thinking highlights identifying the value- creating processes and eliminating waste (Toussaint & Berry, 2013). Nonetheless, the productivity of health worker does not change at the same rate as that of other practitioners in different industries. As such, even with the manufacturing principles emphasis on eliminating unnecessary processes, this does not necessarily improve productivity in health care where processes are different than those of the manufacturing process. The lean manufacturing principles adopted from Toyota Production System, focused on reducing costs and improving the quality of products has been adapted into the healthcare industry. Hospitals now focus on value and not merely volume as the aim is to cut costs and improve quality (Moraros, Lemstra & Nwankwo, 2016). Lean manufacturing is prioritized when the processes are examined and waste is eliminated. However, the manufacturing industry can handle system-wide changes faster than the healthcare industry and there is an alignment of strategies, making it easier to implement lean manufacturing principles in manufacturing when compared to healthcare. Having lean leaders who can implement lean manufacturing principles enhances process improvements as they make decisions on operations in healthcare institutions to improve quality of service delivery. The principles of productivity in manufacturing also focus on adding value and eliminating waste, which is consistent with lean manufacturing. However, there are various tools that are used like visual cues and 5S principles and the aim is to identify causes of waste in health practitioners activities and do not value. However, the principles of manufacturing do not always translate into manufacturing since the healthcare industry tends to have low productivity growth compared to other industries. For instance, in healthcare, there is less adoption of standardized technology that targets the patients, since patients are unique and their needs vary. This contrasts with the manufacturers who can automate facilities and integrate robotics technology ...