Authors (including presenting author) :
Chung KH (1), Cheung KH (1), Wong WT (2)
Affiliation :
(1)Registered nurse in Operation Room, Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Operating Services, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon East Cluster, (2)Advanced practice nurse in Operation Room, Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Operating Services, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon East Cluster.
Introduction :
"Slip, trip, and fall" incidents are common workplace injuries that can lead to significant health issues. Recently, perioperative personnel tripped and fell on the floor in the Operating Room (OR). One factor causing the incident was the warehouse boxes obstructing the walkway with cluttered spaces. Traditionally, we used six mega warehouse boxes (88m3 per box) containing the orthopaedic implants and consumables, piled up on dollies in the preparation room. All occupy 264m3, 30% of the available space in the aisle and walkway, which increases the risk of trips. In addition, heavier boxes (8-10kg per box) require excessive effort to transport that increase the risk of manual handling injury. Importantly, without labels, searching through unmarked boxes takes a significantly longer time, and leads to a 20% chance of misidentifying items. In May 2024, a workgroup in the Orthopaedics & Traumatology (O&T) Team was formed to implement storage management strategies and apply the 5S methodology to systematic improvement.
Objectives :
1.Improve the space utilization in preparation room by 50%. 2.Reduce the weight while transportation by 50% 3.Enhance the efficiency of searching and stocking by 50% 4.Enhance the accuracy of identifying and retrieving items by 50% 5.Enhance safety, reducing the risk of injury on duty (IOD).
Methodology :
1.Sort Members identified specific problems and reorganized the inventory. 2.Set in Order Members decided to use vertical storage solutions to free up floor space. They used designated, moveable cabinets (1.7m high) instead of warehouse boxes (0.3m high) to improve vertical capacity. They also implemented a labeling system in each shelving unit to enhance visibility and accessibility. 3.Shine Members ensured the aisle and walkway in the preparation room were clear of obstacles to reduce trip hazards. 4.Standardize Members reviewed the standard operation procedure, disseminated the new arrangements to the perioperative personnel, and emphasized the importance of staff safety. 5.Sustain Members regularly checked the preparation room environment to ensure the cabinet was placed correctly. Encourage O&T members to provide feedback and make adjustments as necessary.
Result & Outcome :
1.67% of space utilization increased in the preparation room. 2.Significantly reduced the weight of transportation via movable cabinet. 3.50% decreased the time spent searching items. 4.100% achieved in the accuracy of the item identification and retrieval. 5.No IOD related to the storage amendments occurred.
