Lean oncology: a new model for oncologists
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EDITORIAL
Open Access
Lean oncology: a new model for oncologists Vincenzo Montesarchio1, Antonio Maria Grimaldi2, Bernard A Fox3, Antonio Rea1, Francesco M Marincola4 and Paolo A Ascierto2*
Abstract The history of the term Lean is relatively recent and originates from the Toyota Production System (TPS). The term "Lean" means "thin", which refers to a mental process, operational, productive, no-frills, quick but not hasty, consequential to the previous event. The Lean process flows seamlessly into the result, eliminates unnecessary complications to the effect, prevents unnecessary equipment processes. The idea is to 'do more with less', like using the (few) available resources in the most productive way possible, through the elimination of all types of waste that inevitably accompanies every stage of a production process. Lean management is primarily a management philosophy, a system of values and behaviors that goes beyond the mere application of the instrument and that, once internalized, will form the nucleus of the corporate culture. "Lean Oncology" is a term coined to identify a methodology of care and treatment to cancer patients, consisting on process simplification, streamlining of the organizational and routes of drug treatment, detection and elimination of waste. Its main objective is the centrality of the patient.
Why “lean” in oncology? The term Lean is a synonym of simplicity, as well as efficiency. The same Leonardo Da Vinci believed that “Simplicity” is the highest refinement, and Albert Einstein stated that it is essential to make things as simple as possible, but not the easy way. Equity is a derivation of the principles of social justice and the State has the duty to ensure the satisfaction of basic needs to everyone. The task of the community in pursuing fairness can be understood in terms of egalitarianism, that is intended as the duty of the State to guarantee everyone the same opportunities in terms of health care, in obtaining the minimum standard of health services. International development of health technologies keeps pace with the continuous transformation of society in terms of appearance of new diseases, increase of patient education and aging population. This process requires an evolution of care based on appropriateness and fairness of the offer. The expansion of health care spending is a widespread phenomenon in all the institutional and organizational contexts that characterize the modern * Correspondence: [email protected] 2 Unit of Medical Oncology and Innovative Therapy, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
health systems. The health services must take into account limited resources to avoid that health will no longer be an asset available to all due to cost explosion. One of the emerging issues in oncology, related to the wave of optimism that comes from improvements in several types of cancer from the high cost of
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