Goyal Simran, Law Elizabeth
Student, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 3RX.
Head of Business Development, ImproveWell Ltd, London.
Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2019 Mar 2;80(3):168-169. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2019.80.3.168.
Kaizen is a Japanese word with two parts: 'zen' meaning 'good' and 'kai' meaning 'change', translating literally as 'good change' or 'improvement'. Kaizen or continuous improvement-based approaches have been applied to many industries including health care. Kaizen principles include that everyone should be involved in daily improvement, that managers and front-line staff work together and that solutions should be small and incremental. Implementing Kaizen can have a strong influence on organizational culture including medical engagement, as highlighted through key case studies. One obstacle to successful change is the culture of organizations involved. This article highlights the potential for Kaizen as an agent for change in the NHS.
改善（Kaizen）是一个日语词汇，由两部分组成：“zen”意为“好的”，“kai”意为“改变”，字面意思是“好的改变”或“改进”。改善或基于持续改进的方法已应用于包括医疗保健在内的许多行业。改善原则包括每个人都应参与日常改进、管理者和一线员工共同协作，以及解决方案应小而渐进。正如关键案例研究所示，实施改善对包括医疗参与在内的组织文化会产生重大影响。成功变革的一个障碍是相关组织的文化。本文强调了改善作为英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）变革推动者的潜力。
