Breast Cancer Care Network coordination: analysis in the light of the lean methodology for early diagnosis

This study aimed to analyze the application of the lean philosophy in the Health Care Network (RAS) for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. This case study was produced with data from interviews, document analysis, and observation and was conducted from June to July 2019. The setting was the seat of the municipality of the North Metropolitan Region, Ceará State, Brazil, involving three points of the RAS (Primary Care Unit, Medical Specialties Center, and Polyclinic). The following issues were identified: long waiting times, first-come-first-served care, and insufficient medical workload. Implementing the theoretical model of lean philosophy would reduce the total process time from 36 days to 15 in the Primary Care Unit/Medical Specialty Center flow and from 33 to 13 days in the Primary Care Unit/Polyclinic. The presented model is an efficient reference for improving the management and early diagnosis of breast cancer in the RAS.