Authors (including presenting author) :
Yoyo Fok(1), Joseph Law(1), Terence Leung(1), Macky Tung(1), Juliana Leung(1), Arthur Loh(2), Herman Lee(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Admin Services
(2) IT Development
Kwong Wah Hospital
Introduction :
Smart management by IT innovation has become a global trend in public health system. In the redevelopment project in KWH, smart initiatives are certainly involved in the facility planning. Started planning in 2013 and substructure work in 2016, KWH has initiated the redevelopment project with respect to the expansion in service demand. By the incorporation of smart technologies, the healthcare service can be provided in a more efficient manner. Among different services provided by the hospital, the role of linen service may easily be underestimated. In the current daily operation of linen service, supporting staffs have to handle nearly 60 carts of heavy soiled linen, sort and distribute working clothes and uniforms, and keep stock check of different linen items. The workload is labor intensive and it increases the risk of MHO and IOD. In order to fulfill the increasing needs in linen service, several advanced initiatives have been proposed in the redevelopment project. Dispensing and collecting unit of working clothes, as well as linen delivery robots are two examples of smart technologies in linen service. Workflow optimization can be achieved as the staff workload is reduced. It is believed that the incorporation of robotics can further enhance the service provision to staffs and patients.
Objectives :
It is anticipated that with the aid of the machinery, the workload of the supporting staff can be greatly reduced. There are linen delivery robots which help them to deliver the heavy soiled linen. The dispensing and collection units of working clothes also allows users to get their clothes according to their convenience without limitation of the linen exchange unit service hours. Items usage from different department can also be evaluated. This enable better resources allocation and forecast in the linen demand.
Methodology :
In the Phase I redevelopment project of KWH, dispensing and collection unit of working clothes will be launched. The system of the unit will be programmed to match with the staff card of the users, they can simply press their cards on the unit to collect their clothes. After working, users can return the clothes to the collection unit by swiping their staff cards again. Alert will be received by the admin once the inventory level of the dispensing unit is decreased to a certain level. Supporting staff can then immediately top up the clean linen so as to meet the service needs. Besides, when the inventory level of the collection unit has reached to the full level, alert will also be sent. Soiled linen can then be collected and picked up by laundry services. Apart from the dispensing and collection unit of working clothes, linen delivery robotic system will also be set up for transporting soiled linen. The cart transporter can navigate autonomously and move along the pre-mapped route. Then, the cart transporter brings and unloads the linen carts to lorry parking bay, and the soiled linen can be directly sent to the laundry.
Result & Outcome :
As the dispensing and collection unit of working clothes, and linen delivery robot will be launched in Phase I of KWH redevelopment project, they are not in operation at current stage. Both the units and the linen delivery robots are under procurement process. It is planned to purchase 13 dispensing units and 24 collection units, which they will be allocated on different floors. In addition, at least 3 linen delivery robots will be included in the soiled linen collection system in Phase I. With the smart initiatives, it is believed that the burden of supporting staff can be relieved. From users’ aspect, dispensing and collection unit of working clothes allows them to obtain and return the working clothes in a 24/7 manner. Despite the fact that there may be obstacles in launching the new items, the benefits brought by the smart initiatives are appreciable.
