Pete’s Room is Now Clean and Neat

I have written before in this blog about the technique known as a 5S event. The main goal of a 5S is to organize and standardize an area 5S stands for Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. A 5S is at the foundation of performance improvement for an organization.  Clutter clogs up physical and mental flow of material and information.  After all, if members of our hospital staff are working in a cluttered   area how can we expect them to improve service to patients and others? Evidence shows that when a 5S is done well, the workplace will: “talk” to you, control itself, will be refreshing, safe, predictable and reliable. The results of a 5S will shorten training for new employees and be welcoming to everyone including our workers and our visitors.

5S GOR Team

Jody Porter, DNP, RN, our Sr. Vice President, Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer was the executive sponsor for the event. The team also included Neil Crockett (Facilitator), Courtney Hendon (Team Leader), CJ Marbley, RN (Perioperative Nursing Administrative Director), Denis Albaladejo, RN (GOR Nurse Manager), Steve Adams, B.A., RN., CRCST (Sterile Processing/Anesthesia Manager),  John Bisker, RN (GOR Clinical Partner), Tracy Lamb, CRNP (Perioperative Nurse Specialist), Nick Dinatale, RN (OR Team Lead), Dan Schaefer, (Sterile Processing Supervisor), Frank McDonald, (Supply & Equipment Specialist), Charles Williams, (Supply & Equipment Technician), Will Boone, (OR Support Assistant), Kendrick Wiggins, (Stores Supervisor), Alyssa Natoli (Student Intern) and Celeste Demalo (Student Intern).  The team had representation from all areas that make the GOR run smoothly, which is critical for the last S, “sustain.”  Peter Whipple (Surgical Laser Coordinator), Stephanie Mayoryk, RN (Infection Control Manager), Michelle Tauson (Safety Specialist), our Environmental Services and Facilities team also played a key part in the success of the event.

The original scope of the event included hallways outside of the breakout room (pic below), central sterile and the locker room.  Other areas added were the “Breakout Room” (also known as the vendor equipment room) and “Pete’s Room” (storage area). Throughout the week the scope expanded to include the following supply rooms: the Equipment Room (pic. below), the Ramp Room, the Ortho Room (pic. below) and the Sub-Sterile (Emergency Cart) Room.

These additional areas could be added because of the outstanding pre-work done before the event week. The objectives were to: train the team in 5S principles and implement those principles; target equipment areas to organize, standardize space for patient volume, staff workflow and the restocking process; determine the physical items and information needed in those areas; and to clear hallways to create a safer environment for both employees and patients.

Through this event the team “sorted,” “set in order,” “shined,” and “standardized” three hallways and six storage supply rooms. Results included the “crushing” and disposal of 100 unused items, the creation of 200 visual parking spots for equipment, the hanging of 120 visuals, the making of 400 parking spaces and equipment labels and the shining of 3,622 square feet in the GOR.  In addition six life safety violations were resolved.  The team also found obsolete equipment that was quoted for a resale of $12,550.

After the 5s event, the team plans to sustain the success of the event by using a 5S daily audit checklist, a follow-up newspaper and have a created a communication handout for stakeholders of the newly 5S’d areas.
 
What great work this Team did! Not only Pete’s Room, but many other spaces are now standardized and clean and will make it easier for our people to serve patients the way they want their own loved ones served. I am very grateful for the efforts of the GOR 5S Team. What do you think?