By Valissa Yap

Departments across NHCS explore how "Get Rid of Silly Stuff" (GROSS) initiatives are making a difference in simplifying workflows and making work more enjoyable. In this final instalment of CardioConnect’s GROSS series, we look at how our nurses continuously think out of the box to create positive work outcomes.

Streamlining Equipment Loans

In an ideal world, loaning and returning a piece of equipment should be a straightforward process. However, in the wards where multiple activities take place simultaneously - from patient care to administrative and housekeeping duties - things can get hectic sometimes.

Previously, when a ward needed to borrow equipment or medical supplies from another, they had to use a hardcopy loan chit system to record the transaction. During the return process, nurses often find themselves making multiple phone calls and coordinating with porters to transport items, along with the hardcopy loan chit. The manual process meant that the loan chits were prone to misplacement, making it difficult to locate items and increasing the administrative burden on nurses.

Although the solution was obvious – digitalisation – it took the team significant courage to step away from the legacy process. Often, the fear of something new lends unpredictability and uncertainty. After thorough discussions, the nursing administration team introduced an electronic loan chit form stored on a shared drive for easy accessibility. They communicated the new process clearly and trained key ward staff in using the new system.

The GROSS Loan Chit System team members and facilitator from L-R: Senior Nurse Manager (SNM) Zhang Ju Xia; Acting Assistant Director (Ag AND) Jasmine Lee; Senior Staff Nurse (SSN) Kimbell Tan, Assistant Director (AD) Jonathan Sim, SSN Eugene Wee, Nurse Clinician (NC) Yang Ruiqin. Not pictured: Associate Executive (AE) Siti Raudhah Binte Roseli.

“The electronic loan chit system has completely transformed the equipment tracking process. At a glance, I can monitor what has been loaned and returned, and no longer need to trace missing items or misplaced forms! This has allowed me to dedicate more time to my patients, ensuring that valuable resources are readily available in the wards when needed,” Associate Executive Siti Raudhah Binte from Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) shares.

By simply ‘grossing’ the old method, the streamlined process has not only brought clear visibility of outstanding loans but also allowed staff to spend more time on what matters most.

Smells like GROSS spirit

Wrapping up this series, we hope you have been inspired to embark on your GROSS journey. We encourage you to put on your creative thinking cap and a willingness (perhaps some courage too!) to bin that legacy work process or say no to yet another form. As the various project teams have demonstrated, small changes can have a positive ripple effect, paving the way to a more sustainable and joyful environment for our patients and fellow colleagues.

Read the previous GROSS articles:

Mirror, Mirror on The Wall, Who’s The Grossest of Them All

GROSSly Simplified: Small Changes, Big Impact

A Gross Increase in Efficiency!

Have a GROSS idea or completed a GROSS project? Submit your entries here (for nursing only).