A first phase evaluation of Saskatchewan's lean health care transformation

Given the scope and scale of the project and the commitment of resources, the Provincial Leadership Team (PLT) of the health system identified the need for a rigorous evaluation of the Lean initiative. [...] Both the selection of the regions and the focus on RPIWs and 5S were endorsed by the Steering Committee and the HQC. [...] Lean implementation mapping); • Visits to each of the four focus regions to conduct a set of semi-structured interviews with patients, service providers, and leaders; • An iterative process of theory development which identified the key mechanisms to be explored in the multi-year evaluation and the outcomes indicators to be collected; • The first stage of an economic evaluation, examining the cost [...] This has certainly been the experience of the first phase of the evaluation, and it is a feature of the design of the multi-year evaluation as well. [...] The aim of the meeting was to select the best research team and approach for the Lean evaluation.