A Novel Approach to Curricular Review Through a “lean” Lens

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. It has been well acknowledged that undergraduate medical curricula need to shift in order to meet the future needs of society, governments, and students. However, change is difficult given the complexity of the undergraduate medical education system. Few systematic approaches to curricular review and change have been documented in the literature."Lean", a way of thinking and analysis, has been traditionally used by production industries to derive greater value from fewer resources, thereby minimizing inefficiencies. By adopting a lean lens and applying it to medical education, the authors offer a novel way of characterizing the inefficiencies in undergraduate medical curricula. Inefficiencies are varied and include curricular deficits, overproduction, inventory redundancy, and idle time.Further reflection suggests that these inefficiencies are the consequence of poor information management and communication between administrators and faculty and missed opportunities for consolidation of topics or assessments. Addressing these root causes would yield measurable benefits, including the creation of time for pursuit of personalized learning and enhanced student wellness. Other students and institutions may wish to leverage this approach to identify and address similar inefficiencies within their own curricula.