Name
#70 Human-Centered Clinical Environments: Leveraging Human Systems Integration and Lean Six Sigma to Combat Burnout in Military Healthcare
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Navy
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Wellbeing, Policy/Management/Administrative
Learning Outcomes
1. Define the role of Human Systems Integration (HSI) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Department of Defense as frameworks for reducing risk, waste, and variation in military healthcare systems.
2. Illustrate practical applications of HSI and LSS across the HSI domains in military healthcare, including ergonomic interventions, workflow redesign, optimized clinical environments, and lessons from defense system design (e.g., F-35 cockpit layout, Space Force command-and-control).
3. Evaluate the impact of integrating HSI and LSS on provider wellness, burnout reduction, patient safety, and operational readiness in both garrison and expeditionary military healthcare settings.
Session Currently Live
Description

Human Systems Integration (HSI) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) together provide a comprehensive Department of Defense (DoD) framework for designing systems, processes, and environments that align with human capabilities and limitations while reducing waste and variation. HSI ensures that human performance, ergonomics, and workload factors are fully integrated into system design to reduce fatigue and maximize effectiveness. LSS complements this by applying data-driven methods to identify inefficiencies, standardize processes, and sustain outcomes. Applied jointly, these principles create human-centered, mission-ready systems that protect personnel against burnout and improve long-term resilience. For example, in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter acquisition, HSI shaped cockpit layouts, helmet-mounted displays, and pilot-aircraft interfaces to account for anthropometrics and cognitive load, enabling rapid, accurate decision-making in combat. Similarly, in the U.S. Space Force, human factors engineering supports the design of command-and-control centers where operators monitor satellites and space domain awareness systems. These environments must be configured to manage cognitive load, reduce alarm overload, and sustain vigilance during long-duration operations. Both cases demonstrate the value of combining HSI and LSS to optimize performance in complex, high-stakes environments. Military healthcare faces parallel challenges: healthcare providers operate under high stress, long hours, and in environments where poorly designed systems accelerate fatigue and burnout. By integrating HSI and LSS principles in system design and process improvements, leaders can intentionally redesign workflows and environments to preserve healthcare provider wellness, improve patient safety, and sustain operational readiness. Examples align across the seven HSI domains: • Manpower: Streamlined emergency department triage through value stream mapping eliminates redundant steps, reducing cognitive overload. • Personnel: Ergonomic workstations decrease musculoskeletal strain in radiology, pharmacies, and labs, lowering fatigue-related errors. • Training: High-fidelity simulations sustain critical skills while monitoring cognitive load, allowing leaders to intervene before burnout undermines performance. • Human Factors Engineering: Alarm management systems prevent desensitization, while redesigned dashboards reduce information overload during mass casualty events. • Environment: Optimized ICU lighting and noise reduction protect circadian rhythms and reduce stress, while radiologist reading rooms configured for visual comfort lower error risk. • Safety: Linear patient flow in hospitals prevents bottlenecks, decreasing staff stress during surge events and improving outcomes. • Habitability: Ergonomic interventions, including antifatigue mats, directly improve daily comfort and endurance across long shifts. LSS tools such as Pareto analysis identify high-burden workflows, while HSI ensures redesigned systems match healthcare provider cognitive and physical capabilities. Taken together, HSI and LSS provide a pathway to healthcare environments that reduce burnout, preserve wellness, and sustain readiness. Just as HSI shaped the effectiveness of the F-35 and Space Force operations, its integration into healthcare strengthens the human dimension of military medicine—ensuring resilient healthcare providers and mission-ready teams across garrison and expeditionary settings.