Assessment of Nurse Managers’ Knowledge about Lean Strategies

Background: Lean strategies have been increasingly adopted in healthcare to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve service quality. Nurse managers play a fundamental role in leading Lean initiatives. Still, their knowledge regarding Lean principles is not always adequately assessed in hospital settings. Purpose: To assess nurse managers’ knowledge regarding Lean strategies at Beni-Suef University Hospitals. Methods: A descriptive exploratory design was used. Sampling: The sample included all nurse managers who accepted to participate and were available during data collection (n=50). Instrument: Data were collected using the Lean Strategy Knowledge Questionnaire. Results: Majority nurse managers (98%) had an unsatisfactory knowledge level regarding Lean strategies. The weakest domains were Lean concepts (0.63 ± 0.36), origin (0.70 ± 0.42), and benefits (0.63 ± 0.38). while Lean tools and wastes recorded mean scores of 5.75 ± 0.45 and 2.14 ± 0.89, respectively. No significant associations were found between knowledge levels and personal characteristics. Conclusion: Nurse managers demonstrated inadequate knowledge of Lean strategies. Recommendations: Healthcare organizations and Nursing Faculties should incorporate Lean concepts into continuous professional development and academic curricula, provide targeted workshops for nurse managers, and promote awareness programs to enhance readiness for Lean implementation.