Table 2. Types of waste in health care processes.

Types of Health care Waste	Example
Extra-processing	Multiple unnecessary patient forms
Defects	Incorrect surgical procedure, medication error
Overproduction	Antibiotics given for viral infection
Waiting	ED patient waiting for inpatient bed availability
Unnecessary motion	Lengthy distance between administrative process steps
Excessive inventory	Excessive stock supply to ensure availability
Unnecessary transport	Moving ED patients to separate areas for admit holding
Underutilized employee creativity	Limited engagement of employees in process redesign

Adapted from Hoeft²¹