Authors (including presenting author) :
Chu KP(1), Hui WM(1) Cheng PH(1), Kwan W(2), Cheng PY(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Palliative Care Unit, Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital, (2) Nursing Department, Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital
Introduction :
According to the Hospital Authority's occupational injury report in 2022, strikes, slips, trips, and falls (SSTF) ranked highest among all injuries. Due to the long corridor design in Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital (HKBH), hospital staff must walk long distances to reach clinical items. To shorten this distance, a project titled "Prevention of Workplace Slip and Fall and Optimizing Healthcare Environment Through 5-S Implementation" was piloted in October 2023 in one ward and then extended to all other wards, targeting mini-stations in HKBH wards.
Objectives :
The project aimed to prevent workplace slips and falls related to rushing for medical items in inpatient units and to optimize the healthcare environment by increasing efficiency, enabling prompt care, and maintaining tidiness in the mini-stations.
Methodology :
The project was based on the concept of 5-S practices. A Google Form was used to gather opinions from frontline nurses to identify necessary and unnecessary items in the mini-station cabinet. A clearly designed label with photos of the items was posted on the cabinet door, and a routine checking system was established. A registered nurse in each ward was designated to monitor the project. A post-implementation satisfaction survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the practice. The distance and the walking time from the farthest hospital bed to commonly used items were measured. For convenience, tools installed on smartphones and smartwatches were used to measure both distance and walking time.
Result & Outcome :
There were no workplace slips or falls in the pilot ward. The post-implementation satisfaction survey revealed that 80% of respondents rated their agreement with the convenience of the practice as 4 to 5. Additionally, 80% rated the tidiness of the cabinet between 4 and 5, while 90% rated their overall satisfaction with the practice as 4 to 5. The farthest distance to reach medical items was 52.8 meters, while the shortest distance to the mini-station cabinet was 18.9 meters. The longest round-trip walking time was 106.7 seconds, and the shortest walking time was 32.3 seconds to the mini-station cabinet. The results indicate that the implementation of the 5-S practice is effective in preventing workplace slips and falls as well as in optimizing the healthcare environment. The program is ongoing in all inpatient units in HKBH.
