Win patients’ heart with thoughtful ideas

Three outstanding clinical service teams have won Asian Hospital Management Awards 2019 with achievements in evidence-based nursing practice in reduced use of physical restraints, creative use of an instruction card for patients, and application of 3D printing model in medical training. It proves that ingenuity can go a long way in upgrading service quality and creating a win-win situation for healthcare workers and patients.

Doll therapy can allay senile patients’ anxiety.

Evidence-based practice supports restraint-free initiative

Nursing Excellence Project – Excellence Award
New Territories East Cluster

Physical restraints are sometimes applied in hospitals to prevent patients from falling or injuring themselves. Yet research proved that such restraints could increase agitation and even the risk of death. Therefore, New Territories East Cluster has fundamentally changed the nursing culture of ‘restraint for safety’ by implementing the ‘Restraint Free Troops’ programme and improve service quality.

Hand mittens are used instead of restraints to prevent patients from pulling the tubes.

Seven hospitals in the cluster adopt evidence-based measures of fall prevention, including sensor pads and improved fall assessment practice. Flexible visiting hours are introduced to facilitate family to accompany agitated patients, reducing the risk of self-injury.

Cluster-wide training workshops were conducted for all nurses to promote the ‘zero restraint’ target and the use of alternative treatments, such as doll therapy to allay senile patients’ anxiety. With concerted effort of all nurses, the patient fall rate of the cluster has been reduced by 36% in five years. Prince of Wales Hospital and North District Hospital recorded the lowest and second-lowest restraint prevalence amongst all HA acute hospitals, manifesting the effectiveness of the programme.

Explaining the preparation and procedures of colonoscopy using instruction card can increase the success rate.

All-in-one guide card for bowel preparation

Clinical Service Project – Excellence Award
North District Hospital

To better prepare patients for colonoscopy, North District Hospital reinforces patient education by ‘Bowel Preparation Quality Improvement Programme’. A lucid instruction card is given to patients on admission to explain preparation steps in form of points-to-note when taking bowel cleansing agent and procedure before examination. The illustrated card makes instructions easy to understand.

Piloted in August last year, the programme resulted that among all patients who joined the programme, 57% showed good bowel preparation, 31% higher than those not being given the instruction cards. Over 90% of the patients surveyed were satisfied with the instruction card. For patients, good bowel preparation can shorten the procedure time, reduce procedure risks as well as result in less pain. For the hospital, the programme improves work efficiency by lowering readmission rate for colonoscopy.

3D printed 1:1 models are used for pre-operative planning, resulting in better operation success rate.

3D printing technology enhances medical training

Innovations in Healthcare Technology – Excellence Award
Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Multi-disciplinary Simulation and Skills Centre (MDSSC) of Queen Elizabeth Hospital has developed innovative 3D printing service since 2015. It supports the production of patient-specific models and surgical guides for pre‑operative planning. It also assists the development of simulation training device, for example, the team worked together with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the development of a training simulator of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation by 3D printing to enhance simulation training quality.

Doctors can use 3D-printed surgical guides (in yellow) designed by MDSSC to conduct pre‑operative planning for mandibulectomy (1) and free fibular graft reconstruction (2)(3) to improve surgical accuracy and efficiency.

MDSSC has established a 3D Model Service Development and Strategic Planning Committee in 2016 to coordinate and enhance the 3D printing service, and promote multi-disciplinary collaboration, including Surgery, Cardiology, Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Clinical Oncology, Radiology and Allied Health Departments. MDSSC has created over 120 pieces of 3D models of patient-specific human organs and body structures. The team has been awarded the HA Outstanding Teams Award 2018 for its innovation.