Authors (including presenting author) :
WYW WONG1, KL PUN2, MFM CHAN2
Affiliation :
1. Quality and Safety Office, Tung Wah Eastern Hospital
2. Nursing Services Division, Tung Wah Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
Hoists have become an integral part of patient lifting and transfer without putting unnecessary strain on healthcare workers. However, it is noticed that there were repeated incidents locally and internationally of patient injured as a result of fall from ceiling hoists.
Objectives :
To enhance staff awareness on safe use of ceiling hoist to prevent fall incidents
To reinforce the correct sling checking procedure before lifting patients
Methodology :
A review of related incidents showed that sling straps not correctly placed at the bottom of hoist hooks was the most common contributory factors. As such a series of actions were taken to raise staff awareness and reinforce staff compliance.
Hoist operational procedure were revisited and the standard hoist assessments were refined with expert input from the cluster quality and safety office, occupational safety and health and clinical departments. The vendor was invited to deliver 2 sessions of training in June 2022. 4 on-site train-the-trainer workshops had then been conducted. Each session lasts for 45 minutes with a maximum of 5 participants. Training content included incident review, theory and practical demonstration relevant to the types of hoists, patient groups and settings of the hospital., highlighting the correct sling checking procedure. All nursing and supporting staff were required to perform return demonstration not only by being the operator but also by acting as a patient being transferred from bed to bathroom, such that they could experience the patients’ perspective. In addition, an easy-read guide on the updated hoist-checking procedure were posted up in ward areas as a reminder. The program aimed to keep the patients and staff as safe as possible throughout every transfer. Clinical preceptors were assigned to provide surprise check to sustain the change in practice.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 155 nurses and supporting staff were trained through experience learning. 23 local trainers were qualified for the ongoing training by the train-the-trainers sessions. Hundred percent of participants demonstrated their competency and compliance by showing an understanding of the required knowledge and skills to safely use the ceiling hoist. Over 95% of staff agreed that the program had a practical value in their daily work and that the training format could enhance their learning. It was also displayed as screen saver on the Clinical Management System (CMS).
