At the beginning of the 21st century, Lean Management (LM) tools were introduced into the healthcare sector around the world. In Poland, there are still few LM implementations, and they are not of a comprehensive nature. The aim of this article is to present the application of the LM concept in a hospital in Poland as a tool for the identification and analysis of waste and its impact on the process of organizing the provision of medical services on the example of improvements in the process of patient admission. In the period from 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019, a project of LM implementation was carried out at the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Wroclaw. The project was based on the method of value-stream mapping and 5Why. Standardized interviews (before and after the project) were conducted with people from the hospital management and middle-level managers. The implementation of LM tools resulted in the identification of a number of wastes, which have been divided into groups. The most important waste was paper medical documentation. Its change to an electronic form allowed for a better use of human capital resources; savings included 2.3 nursing positions and 1.09 medical staff positions.

Introduction: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a period of uncertainty and stress for healthcare managers due to the lack of knowledge (about the transmission of the virus, etc.) and also due to the lack of uniform organisational and treatment procedures. It was a period where the ability to prepare for a crisis, to adapt to the existing conditions, and to draw conclusions from the situation were of critical importance to keep ICUs (intensive care units) operating. The aim of this project is to compare the pandemic response to COVID-19 in Poland during the first and second waves of the pandemic. This comparison will be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the response, including challenges presented to health professionals and health systems and ICUs with COVID-19 patients according to the European Union Resilience Model (2014) and the WHO Resilience Model (2020). The WHO Resilience model was suitable to the COVID-19 situation because it was developed based on this experience. Methods: A matrix of 6 elements and 13 standards assigned to them was created using the EC and WHO resilience guidelines. Results: Good governance in resilient systems ensures access to all resources without constraints, free and transparent flow of information, and a sufficient number of well-motivated human resources. Conclusions: Appropriate preparation, adaptation to the existing situation, and effective management of crisis situations are important elements of ensuring the resilience of ICUs.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer among women, following lung cancer in the general population

Healthcare institutions in Poland constantly encounter challenges related both to the quality of provided services and to the pressures associated with treatment effectiveness and economic efficiency. The implemented solutions have a goal of improving the service quality of lowering the continuously increasing operational costs. The aim of this paper is to present the application of Lean Management (LM) tools in a Polish hospital, which allowed for the identification of prolonged stays as one of the main issues affecting the service costs and the deteriorating financial results of the hospital. The study was conducted in the neurology department and involved an analysis of data for the whole of 2019 and the first half of 2022. In addition, surveys were conducted among the medical staff to help identify the main causes of prolonged stays. Methods of data analysis and feasible solutions were developed in order to improve the economic efficiency of the unit. The analysis shows that the application of LM tools may contribute to improvement in the functioning of hospitals and that further studies should focus on the development of the method to evaluate efficiency of the implemented solutions intended at shortening the hospital stays of the patients.

Celem pracy jest opracowanie zintegrowanego modelu kompetencji pracowniczych, wraz z opisaniem dynamiki wzajemnych interakcji, jakie zachodzą pomiędzy poszczególnymi elementami składowymi kompetencji. Publikacja prezentuje nowy wielowymiarowy model kompetencji pracowniczych oparty na triadzie: wiedza – umiejętności – postawy, w której wiedza jest źródłem dla umiejętności. Metodologia pracy oparta została na koncepcji refleksyjnego praktyka. Zgodnie z przyjętą metodą, podstawą do prowadzonej refleksji było projektowanie kolejnych wersji modelu kompetencji, które następnie weryfikowane były w oparciu o osobiste praktyczne doświadczenia autora, na które składa się siedemnastoletnie doświadczenie w prowadzeniu projektów doradztwa organizacyjnego w obszarze zarządzania personelem organizacji. W projektowaniu zintegrowanego modelu kompetencji pracowniczych wykorzystana została także metoda analizy przypadków. Metodą objęte zostały 33 systemy kompetencyjne realnie stosowane w polskich firmach i w polskich oddziałach firm zagranicznych. Na oryginalność opracowania składają się następujące czynniki: - systematyzacja i analiza czynników kształtujących strukturę kompetencji pracowniczych oraz ich odniesienie do strategii konkurencyjności, - identyfikacja i ocena systemów kompetencji funkcjonujących w wybranych organizacjach gospodarczych, - propozycja zintegrowanego modelu uwzględniającego czynniki racjonalne i emocjonalne, ich strukturę i dynamikę oraz powiązania występujące pomiędzy wyróżnionymi elementami, - ukazanie mechanizmów kształtowania składowych zintegrowanego modelu kompetencji za szczególnym uwzględnieniem uwarunkowań kulturowych.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant cancer, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will grow in coming years. Therefore, an increase in the costs of the disease will increase as well. Therefore, there is a need for continuous research on the costs and the economic burden of colorectal cancer and for reviewing the research results systematically. The current paper presents a literature review regarding the state of knowledge about the costs of treatment and the economic burden of colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 20 papers from MEDLINE database were included in the final analysis. The review is focused on the estimates of direct costs, i.e., treatment of colorectal cancer, screening after treatment, and indirect costs. Results: the vast majority of studies were focused on direct costs only, which clearly shows the literature gap. Metastatic colorectal cancer was the most frequent category for various treatment cost evaluation. The costs associated with the use of bevacizumab in various combinations were calculated most frequently. Conclusions: Further summarizing review and developing a methodology for standardized comparisons is necessary, specifically addressing indirect costs.