Application of the Six Sigma concept in clinical laboratories: a review

Six Sigma is a global management strategy introduced to the industrial world in the 1980s. This methodology has been widely implemented in companies such as Motorola, General Electric, Allied Signal and many others, with tremendous success in terms of customer satisfaction and global profitability. To achieve similar benefits in the healthcare field, Six Sigma is currently being deployed in several laboratories around the world. Despite this situation, few articles have been published in the peer-reviewed literature on this subject. The aim of this article is to clarify the different aspects of Six Sigma and their potential applications in clinical laboratories, as well as to systematically review articles and books discussing Six Sigma strategy implementation in the laboratory field.