Lean Six Sigma Projects and the Impact to Patient Satisfaction in United States Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Literature Review

This study examines the effects of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) projects on patient satisfaction within United States healthcare facilities. Focused on the principles of waste reduction and defect minimization, LSS has increasingly been applied in healthcare settings to enhance service quality and operational outcomes. This literature review provides a summary of the existing literature relating LSS in healthcare to patient satisfaction metrics. By using a Systematic Literature Review approach to analyze studies published from 2011 to 2024, this review synthesizes findings from 7 significant papers selected based on stringent inclusion criteria related to LSS project impact to patient satisfaction in United States healthcare facilities. The results demonstrate that LSS interventions can significantly improve patient satisfaction while also reducing inefficiencies in various healthcare processes such as wait times, scheduling, and discharge procedures. A research agenda for future work is proposed.