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Patient Care Assistant Victoria Arthur easily finds supplies after unit staff improved how supplies are stored and organized.
Earlier this year, through intense process improvements, an interdisciplinary group from Hem/Onc on Tower 6C came together for four days to brainstorm ways to improve their work area.
Nearly three months later, the ideas that came out during their workshop, or Kaizen, are helping staff on that floor improve how supplies are stored and organized, ensuring everyone can quickly find and assemble equipment.
“It’s been truly a team effort,” said Nancy Vazquez, BSN, RN, of Hem/Onc, who was part of the group that included a unit coordinator, patient care assistants and staff from Environmental Services, Materials Management and Engineering. “The improvements are small, but, in the long run, they make a big difference.”
Facilitated by the Center for Clinical Excellence, process improvement projects have been occurring in departments and divisions across the hospital since December 2007. To date, 27 process improvement sessions have been completed with more than 200 participants, including nurses, support service staff, clerical support staff and others. In each area, front-line staff and staff from the Center for Clinical Excellence team up during one- to four-day improvement sessions to brainstorm ideas on improving processes and put them to the test.
After a successful start, the improvements on Tower 6C have been extended to pods B and D to help with the removal of unnecessary supplies, grouping emergency equipment and other supplies together and arranging them in a logical way. Now, supplies for patient hygiene are stored together, as are medical and surgical supplies.
“The key is getting feedback from colleagues and trial and error,” said staff nurse Ashley Karol, BSN, RN. “Our work is not done; we continue to listen to everyone’s input and make changes as needed.”
The PACU and pre-op holding areas also are reaping the benefits of process improvements.
“The improvements here have established the use of smaller bedside tables and epidural chairs for epidural shots and the creation of a check list to ensure that all the equipment and supplies are on-hand before a procedure,” said Jeanne Lanchester, MEd, RN, nurse manager of Pre-Op, Day Surgery and the PACU. “After the procedure, at least two people must document and sign for proper disposal of all needles.”
In addition, staff there established a new schedule for the night shift housekeeper to empty needle boxes each day.
Pharmacy staff also have rolled up their sleeves. In an effort to improve efficiency, safety and flow in the OR, Pharmacy revamped the process of stocking, supplying and delivering anesthesia Omni cells and medication carts to ORs.
Some key changes included grouping the delivery and restocking of Omni cells by actual room closing time; creating a medication management process where technicians replace items in the Omni cell that expire within the next seven days; and implementing daily huddles at change of shift for hand-off communication.
“Everyone’s input was incorporated into the plan,” said Steven Baroletti, PharmD, MBA, BCPS. “A self-evaluation mechanism was built into the new process to allow us not only to sustain our efficiency, but also identify areas for perpetual improvement.”
The process improvement program has garnered positive feedback from staff throughout the participating areas, said Dorothy Goulart, MS, RN, director of Performance Improvement in the Center for Clinical Excellence.
“Departments and divisions continue to find ways to improve and provide better care for our patients, but, most importantly, our staff are both the do-ers and the improvers of their work,” said Goulart.