The first evidence about conceptual vs analytical lean healthcare research studies.

Purpose: Several authors have examined the lean healthcare literature, but besides all efforts made, articles comparing conceptual and analytical studies were not found. Thus, a systematic review is conducted aiming to understand the state of the art of lean healthcare by investigating and comparing how conceptual and analytical articles address tools/methods, application fields, implementation barriers and facilitators and positive and negative impacts.

Design/methodology/approach: Articles in English about lean healthcare, published in journals in the last ten years (2009-2018) and indexed in Web of Science (WoS) or Scopus were examined and assessed by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) protocol.