A waste walk through clinical pharmacy: how do the ‘seven wastes’ of Lean techniques apply to the practice of clinical pharmacists†‡

Abstract

Observation of clinical pharmacists' activities has identified that a significant proportion of their time could be categorised as 'waste'. There are practical steps that could be implemented in order to ensure their time is used as productively as possible. Given the challenges facing the UK National Health Service, the adoption of 'Lean' techniques provides an opportunity to improve quality and productivity while reducing costs.