Seven Oaks adopts 5S supply system

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This article was published 25/02/2014 (4282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seven Oaks General Hospital is copying concepts from manufacturing to improve efficiency in patient care.

Using “lean manufacturing” principles derived from the Toyota Production System, Seven Oaks is implementing a new organizational system for the hospital’s medical supplies.

The goal is to reduce the amount of expired supplies and the amount of time staff spends looking for and restocking items.

One of the lean principles the hospital is putting into action is a Japanese system known as two-bin kanban.

“The two-bin kanban system is designed so supplies never run out,” said Toby Maloney, Seven Oaks public relations manager.

“You have two bins, one on top of the other, and when the top one is empty, you then move it to the bottom and put the other one on top. Then you flip over the visual identification tag, which is a little tag that shows what the item is, what the resupply number is and how many are supposed to be there.

“When the resupply clerk comes by, they see that the tag is turned over, so they automatically know to refill that one.

“It sounds really simple, but it doesn’t happen unless you plan it.”

Jonathon Bahrychuk, manager of clinical quality, innovation and performance at the hospital, said the system has been applied in eight of the hospital’s medication rooms, approximately 20 general supply rooms and one of 26 nursing stations, and will eventually be implemented hospital-wide.

In additional to two-bin kanban and other organizational practices, Seven Oaks has replaced its ring binders of IV monographs with Microsoft Surface tablets.

“Staff would pull pages out of (the binders), go mix the medication in a room and not put the page back,” Bahrychuk said.

“That or pages get torn and tattered or we update something and you have to go through the binder, throw the old page out and put the new one in. It all takes time, so rather than doing that, we’ve purchased tablets.”

Bahrychuk said the changes all fall into a workplace organizational method called 5S: Sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain.

“Rather than just spring cleaning, cleaning it up and hoping that it stays like that, you put in a fundamental change, so it continues to be like that forever,” Bahrychuk said.

Bahrychuk said SOGH’s frontline staff has fully embraced 5S and is an important part of the decision process.

“We’ve had some great ideas (from staff),” Bahrychuk said. “You’ll laugh at a little hook on the wall, but one of the nurses said ‘It would be great if we had a hook up there so when I hook up my IV bag and I’m priming my IV lines, I don’t have to throw it over my shoulder.’ Now, this hook is in every single medication room.”

Bahrychuk stresses the changes are not taking jobs away, just making jobs more efficient.

“It’s saving people’s time so they can actually work on patient care,” he said. “Now, you’re with the patient. You’re not searching, looking, wondering ‘Where is that?’

“It adds satisfaction to your work.”