CL05: THE APPLICATION OF LEAN STARTUP METHODOLOGY TO A NEW SURGICAL CLINIC IN MEXICO
Thomas L Gillespie, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery, Anthony Strada, MS3; Creighton University School of Medicine

Background: Core principles of lean startup methodology rely on iteratively building services to avoid large initial project funding to meet the needs of early clients. Our hypothesis was that we could use this methodology to provide new surgical services for a well established free community medical clinic in Mexico.

Methods: Surgical candidates were selected from the “Words of Hope” Community Center, a free clinic staffed by US Board certified physicians in Mexico. Resources were donated and transportable supplies, a surgical team and a rented OR with a supervising licensed Mexican physician.

Results: The inaugural trip consisted of two umbilical hernia cases performed under general anesthesia with a local block. Both patients required less than 30 minutes of recovery time before discharge. One patient required 4 oral narcotics pills on discharge. OR suite, consumables and supervising physician cost were $1400 for the first two cases. Patient and volunteer feedback was that the clinic was a success. Team flexibility and good patient selection were important components that lead to success. The patients had no post-operative complications.

Conclusions: Lean startup methodology can be used to successfully build a volunteer surgical clinic in Mexico without the need for large amounts of initial project funding.