A Message from the CEO




HE Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS
Chief Executive Officer

 Dear Staff,

The April Sandscript brings you information about the ongoing development of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre and the work being done by our colleagues in both Riyadh and Jeddah. A number of educational programs and celebratory ceremonies are talked about inside this issue.

On 24 March 2012, the Hospital launched an awareness campaign for colorectal cancer with a five-day International Colorectal Conference. This meeting brought together national and international speakes on a range of topics related to the latest treatments for colon cancer. See the story and accompanying photos for the details.

The 2nd International Conference of Emergency Medicine fo Children, a three-day meeting organized in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics was held in March. Local and international speakers provided significant new infomation about the emergency care of children.

You can also read about the Graduation Ceremony for the Medical Fellowship and Residency Training Programs held on 13 March 2012 in Prince Salman Auditorium. Academic and Trainng Affairs graduated their 26th group of Fellows and Residents. This story will tell you how the scope of programs and the number of residents has grown dramaticaly since the inception of their postgraduate training 25 years ago.

Then, a wonderful story about the Organ Transplant Recognition Day, which took place on 12 March, shares details about the ceremony and a discusion of our clinical work. We can all be proud of the accomplishments of the Organ Transplant Center, as all of us have contributed to the phenomenal growth in patient volumes and in the high qulity of care provided.

I know that you have witnessed the modifications to the multilevel parking structure adjacent to ITA and are aware of the new tube connecting the east and west hospital campuses. The Mega Projects contribute to the vitality of our hospital and prepare us for the future.

Enjoy this issue.



News: Organ Transplant Recognition Day

Under the patronage of His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS, Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), the opening ceremony of Organ Transplant Recognition Day took place. The event was held at the Prince Salman Auditorium in the hospital on 19 Rabi II 1433 (March 12, 2012).

The ceremony started with a documentary movie focused mainly on the role of organ transplantation and donation in saving people’s lives. Professor Dieter Broering, MD, PhD, FEBS, Director of the Organ Transplant Centre and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, gave a welcome speech to the audience, expressing his pride at being part of KFSH&RC and the organ transplant program.

He also mentioned how desperately the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs transplant services for livers, kidneys and lungs, and that 1,000 patients would need lung transplants in 2012. Dr. Broering talked about the number of organ transplant successes in the hospital; he also said that this success could not have occurred without the support of the administration. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the high quality of work and encouraged public and institutional education, and continued allocation and optimization of resources, especially in research.

H.E. Dr. Qasim Al Qasabi presented a speech on this special occasion; H.E. said it was my pleasure to share in the great successes in 2010-2011. Last year, Organ Transplant Program cases increased by 36 percent compared to the year 2010. “On behalf of the general organization and my colleagues, the executive management, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to everyone who was involved: physicians, nurses, technicians, coordinators, support staff, everyone, because without you really we couldn’t have achieved this success, particularly with these excellent outcomes, comparable to the international centers,” said His Excellency. He added that he is very proud of this success and that: “I would like to give my personal congratulations to all of you on a job well done.”

At the end of the ceremony, each department director, chairman, physicians, head nurses, nurses, technicians, coordinators, and support staffers were awarded with plaques and certificates.

Then the awardees were photographed with H.E., executives, and directors.

News: The 2011-2012 Graduation Ceremony for Postgraduate Medical Training Programs

Under the patronage of His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS, Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), the 2011-2012 Graduation Ceremony for the Medical Training Programs Fellowship and Residency was held on 20 Rabi II 1433 (March 13, 2012) at Prince Salman Auditorium.

The graduation ceremony started with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a speech by Dr. Ibrahim Jubran, Nephrology Program. Dr. Saud Al Shanafy, Executive Director of Academic and Training Affairs, spoke about the program.

His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi presented a speech to Academic and Training Affairs management personnel, congratulating them for their success with the 26th group of Fellowship and Residents. It’s been a quarter of a century since the first batch graduated in 1406 (1986).

H.E. added that the hospital message was focused on presenting a high level of specialized health care in an integrated academic and research environment, and that academic training is one of the hospitals most significant missions, essential to preparing a trained and qualified human force in the various medical fields.

The hospital has increased the number of programs of the Saudi Board to 19, and subspecialty programs to 61. All these programs graduated a total of 395 students from the fellowship Saudi programs, and 553 from subspecialty programs. This year the hospital witnessed the graduation of 82 female and male doctors altogether; 32 doctors were from the fellowship programs and 50 from the subspecialty programs. They majority of graduates are daughters and sons of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and some of them from Arab countries.

The graduation march then began, the graduates received their certificates, and a memorial picture was taken with the H.E. Dr. Al Qasabi and the attending executives.

News: International Saudi Colorectal Conference

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) launched an awareness campaign for Colorectal Cancer. Majid Abdullah, a football star, participated in the campaign to help convince people of the importance of early detection and the high possibility of cure. Colon Cancer is considered the second most common cancer in both males and females in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Othman Bin Ahmed, Deputy to the Chief Executive Officer, inaugurated the five-day International Saudi Colorectal Conference in Al Mamlakh Hall at the Four Seasons Hotel on 01 Jumada Al Awal 1433 (24 March 2012). The conference hosted 56 national and international speakers. Dr. Bin Ahmed also revealed that the hospital was able to cure 3,000 patients with colorectal cancer during the last 10 years.

According to Dr. Luai Ashari, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, significant topics related to colorectal diseases were discussed, along with the possibilities of utilizing robots in surgeries. Other topics included: the latest medication for colorectitis, recent research related to cancer genes and new treatments, and stem cells and their possible uses in treating colon cancer.

The Recognition was given to those newly graduated from the colorectal program and those who received a nursing diploma in coloproctostomy.

News: The Advisory Board Company – Resources at your Fingertips

 

The hospital has renewed its membership with The Advisory Board Company.

The Advisory Board Company is the leading provider of comprehensive performance improvement services to the healthcare and education sectors—including operational best practices and insights, business intelligence and analytic tools, management training, unbiased technology evaluation, and consulting support. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, The Advisory Board Company serves a membership of more than 2,800 organizations—including preeminent hospitals, health systems and universities— around the world that all share a charter “above commerce,” a commitment to best-practice standards, and an unyielding insistence on continual improvement.

Advisory.com Registration:

Any employee of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre can go to http://www.advisory.com/newusrreg/ and register as a new user. Please provide this link to your colleagues. This is a great tool for accessing all the broad range of resources. The site includes archived research, online tools and calculators, updates on upcoming events, updates on the latest industry news, etc.

Our memberships include access to content from the:

•        Clinical Operations Board

•        Healthcare Executive Board

•        Global Centre for Nursing Executives

From www.advisory.com, you may access the schedule of U.S.A. and international course offerings that you may attend without additional registration fees.

News: KFSH&RC Obtains Highest Distinction for Information Security

KFSH&RC recently obtained ISO 27001 certification for Information Security, one of the highest designations in I.T. Security. Information security and data protection are taken very seriously across the organization and gaining compliance to ISO 27001 ensures that KFSH&RC and its subsidiaries can prove that confidentiality, integrity and availability of information are adequately addressed.

ISO/IEC 27001:2005 provides a framework for the management of an information security system. The standard requires you to identify, manage and mitigate risk to informational assets within the organization.

Hamad Al-Daig, Chief Information Officer, stated: “KFSH&RC always strives for best-in-class quality of services for our patients and staff. Achieving this certification demonstrates our commitment to providing reliable and continuous information technology services in a secure environment.”

In January 2012, TÜV Austria, a leading authority, performed the audit for Information Technology Affairs against the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 requirements.

Abdulwahab Alabdulwahab, Manager of Disaster Recovery and Systems Security Section, stated: “ITA is very proud of this achievement as it further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing the highest possible standards of information security management to King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre.”

News: The 33rd World Ophthalmology Congress

 

We had the pleasure of attending the 33rd World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 (WOC 2012), on Feb. 16, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, featuring an extensive scientific program with over 2,200 international speakers. WOC 2012, the largest convention to be staged in the UAE capital, with over 10,000 in attendance, brought together eye-health experts from 136 countries to discuss the latest innovations and clinical developments.

The opening ceremony was attended by Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (Meaco), Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court; and Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nayhan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

The ceremony traced advancements in the history of ophthalmology throughout the Middle East/Africa region from its earliest records, dating back over 3,000 years in ancient Egyptian scripts, to the creation of the lens, dating back 3,000 years in Mesopotamia. Dr Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi, president of WOC 2012, said: “This is the first time this congress – the oldest continuous international medical gathering – has been held in the Middle East and it was therefore very apt that the industry pays tribute to the significant role the region has played in medical development down the ages.”

WOC 2012 is a platform for practitioners from around the world to share updates on the latest techniques and advancements, which will assist regional and international ophthalmologists and technicians to provide advanced care to patients.

We would like to thank Dr. Selwa Al-Hazza for giving us the wonderful opportunity to attend this conference. Her emphasis on continuous education made this trip really rewarding. We would also like to extend our thanks to the administrative team of the eye clinic for their help, support, and encouragement.

News: Critical Care Medicine Recognition Day

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre’s Critical Care Medicine Department celebrated its 1st Annual Recognition Day on 18 Rabi II 1433 (March 11, 2012) in the Prince Salman Auditorium.

The celebration started with a welcome by Judy Moseley, Chief of Nursing Affairs, and Dr. Khalid Maghrabi, Acting Chairman, Department of Critical Care Medicine, and a brief speech by Grahame Binns, Head Nurse. SSCU-B made a presentation also.

The event included activities presented by departmental employees, which revealed hidden talents among them (most of the performed plays created by themselves). The topics covered were mainly about services provided to the patients by the Critical Care Medicine Department and emphasized high-quality healthcare services.

The atmosphere was celebratory and filled with surprises and gifts for the members of the audience, who were picked randomly by the organizers. Among those who received recognition were: the staff of SSCU-B, MICU-C, MICU-D, and Critical Care Medicine physicians. At the end of the celebration, the recognized employees gathered for a group picture and went for lunch in the Prince Salman Auditorium Foyer.

News: The Other Side of Treating Cancer Patients

A forum on “The Other Side of Treating Cancer Patients” was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of Saudi Red Crescent Authority, and Her Royal Highness Princess Haifaa Al Faisal, Chairperson, Board of Directors of Zahra Breast Cancer Institution. The forum was held on 14 Rabi II 1433 (March 7, 2012) at KFSH&RC’s Prince Salman Auditorium. It was organized by Zahra Breast Cancer Institution in collaboration with King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) and the Gulf Centre for Cancer. The forum hosted pioneer speakers in their field: Dr. Maysarah Taher, Mr. Turki Al Dhakeel, Dr. Jasim Al Mutawa, Dr. Saad Al Wahibi and Dr. Omar Al Mudhaifer.

Many cancer-related topics were touched on that had never been discussed before. Different aspects such as religious, social, psychological, governmental, professional, and human perspectives were highlighted. These significant topics attracted many people to attend, and important interactions took place between the speakers and the information-seeking audience. Members of the Ministry of Civil Services, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Health were invited to the meeting to offer information and explain to cancer patients their rights and benefits.

The event was attended by a huge number of governmental employees, executive directors, and employees from KFSH&RC and other hospitals. The institution organized an exhibition and had participants from many institutions dealing with cancer.

Her Royal Highness Princess Haifaa, Chairperson of Zahra Breast Cancer Society, presented a speech, expressing her deep gratitude and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah and the audience. She also commended the organizing committee on its hard effort to ensure the forum’s success. Her Royal Highness also emphasized the governmental institutions’ role in helping cancer patients and said that the forum highlighted the most important points in health care provision. She also added that this gathering would help in building many bridges of strategic plans and present programs to fill the gap between the health services sector and the governmental sector.

Mrs. Iman Bin Saeed, Training and Development Coordinator, Zahra Breast Cancer Institution, pointed out that the forum was focused on the non-medical side of treating cancer patients, which had never been discussed before any forum or conference and should have been highlighted a long time ago.

News: 2nd International Conference of Emergency Medicine

The 2nd International Conference of Emergency Medicine for Children opened under the patronage of Dr. Othman Bin Ahmed, Deputy to the Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) (Gen. Org.) Riyadh. The three-day conference took place at King Fahad Cultural Centre in Riyadh, organized by KFSH&RC in collaboration with the American Academy for Children’s Medicine.

Dr. Bin Ahmed started the event with the declaration that King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, approved the project of developing both the adult and children’s emergency medicine sections in KFSH&RC. He pointed out that the project will offer the ability to deal with different emergency cases. Eighty beds are involved in the plan, which is expected to be completed within two years.

Dr. Bin Ahmed said that medical services for children had developed due to the hospital administrations emphasis on raising the level of health care for patients, especially critical cases. He added that Al-Riyadh Hospital is in the process of building a hospital for children that will contain 300 beds. He believes that the percentage of children in Saudi Arabia is greater than that of adults, and that “it is our responsibility to take good care of this important segment of the community.”

After the conference was inaugurated, Dr. Mohammed Al Faifi, Head of Emergency Medicine Section and Consultant of Emergency Medicine, announced that the conference had invited 30 international speakers to discuss quality improvement in emergency management. Much information was exchanged among the Arabic, Islamic, and international speakers.

Jeddah News

 

Anesthesia Conference

A conference on Risks and Complications of Anesthesia was held at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel from 11 to 13 Muharram 1433h (06 - 08 December 2012) under the auspices of the Mayor of Jeddah, HRH Prince Meshal bin Majed.

Dr. Ibrahim Zabani, head of the conference, said that the purpose of the conference was to exchange expertise in the field of anesthesia, discuss methods of reducing risks of anesthesia, and management of anesthesia-related complications, and to present a number of scientific papers on methods of avoiding risks associated with misapplication of anesthesia. The participants were introduced to the best methods of dealing with difficulties associated with respiratory tract intubation, particularly outside operating rooms.

Employee Social Club News

SQUASH: Tournament Finals and Awards Night

The KFSH&RC Employee Social Club Recreation Services held another squash tournament on March 20, 2012, at the Amenities Centre for squash players and enthusiasts. Though last year’s tournament was a success, this time it was even more successful. There were more participants and bigger prizes for winners; in addition, there were door prizes for spectators.

The evening’s first playoff was between Saeed Uthman Alamoudi, Human Resources Information Specialist from the Personnel Department, and Nasir Ahmed Bakshi, Consultant, Hematopathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who competed for Third Place. The second playoff was between George Kerry Mackay, Clinical Instructor, Nursing Development and Saudization, and Tarek Omran, Locum Assistant Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Heart Centre, who competed for First and Second Place.

All the players put up a great fight during the matches that were marked by physical play, wall- hugging, and several mini-shifts in momentum. It was a real thrill watching fine players like ours in one of the most popular high-speed racquet sports. All of them demonstrated excellent court movements and strength, using length and width to keep their opponents out of the middle of the court.

Recreation Services would like to thank the people who worked together for the success of the tournament: Tamer Dirbalah, Instructor, Recreation Services, ESC, for organizing the tournament; the sponsors for the generous gifts; ESC Recreation Manager Ala’a Al Deen Hamad; and ESC Management and Hospital Administration for their continued support.

Congratulations to the winners and big thanks to all!

List of players and winners:

ID No.	Name	Position / Department	Rank
99870	Tarek Omran	Locum Asst. Consultant, Cardiac Surgeon, Heart Center	First Place – Plaque and 32’ LCD TV
91605	George Kerry Mackay	Clinical Instructor, Nursing Development & Saudization	Second Place – Plaque and Digital Camera
48588	Saeed Uthman Alamoudi	Human Resources Information Specialist, Personnel Dept	Third Place – Plaque and Electric Shaver
41819	Khaled Manae Alkattan	Consultant, Gen. & Min. Invasive Surgery, Dept. of Surgery
65345	Suhail Ahmed Baskshi	Sr. Computer Engineer, Information Technology Affairs
72941	Thau Han Luu	Sr. Technologist, Mold Room, Cancer Centre
92287	Nasir Ahmed Bakshi	Consultant, Hematopathology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
96169	Faisal Abdulrahman A Alkhail	Consultant, Transplant Hepatology, Organ Transplant Center
99492	Mohamed Hussein Ahmed	Asst. Consultant, Thoracic Surgery, Dept. of Surgery

Achievement: New Organizational Structure Implemented

This is the first of a series of articles that will appear in SandScript, covering a number of our 22 KFSH&RC Strategic Programs designed to take us forward toward our vision of being a world-leading institution of excellence and innovation in healthcare.

Strategic Program 01 Re-engineer HR Processes and Program 04 Organization and HR Implementation Projects have addressed not only a major restructuring of the KFSH&RC organization, but also the development of new HR processes and tools in such areas as job descriptions, job evaluations, required competencies, performance management, compensation, and manpower planning.

The newly implemented organizational structure was originally proposed by Hewitt Associates as part of their consulting assignment. Their draft proposal was reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors and a Task Force, headed by the Chief Administrative Officer, that was formed to oversee the complex task of implementing the new structure.

The key feature of the new structure is the creation of new corporate functions with responsibility for policy and strategy across the entire organization, including the Riyadh and Jeddah campuses and any future hospital sites or stand-alone centers of excellence. This provides a clear delineation between strategic and operational management that is typical of organizations worldwide of the size and scope of KFSH&RC.

The Task Force recommended a prioritized implementation based on the degree and/or ease of the changes involved in each operating area. Those operating areas that will undergo the most change will need to phase in over a longer period of time.

Task Force Progress to Date:

•        Reorganizational changes at the corporate level have been discussed with the concerned Executive Directors.

•        New positions have been created for Chief Operating Officers in Riyadh and Jeddah, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer.

•        Details of certain dual reporting relationships have been identified for both Corporate Officers and Site Managers.

•        The CEO has approved the new organizational structures for Information Technology Affairs, Human Resource Services, Supply Chain Management, and Facility Management Group.

•        The newly restructured functions will be fully defined, including positions, finalized job descriptions, manpower plan, and KPIs.

•        Upskilling plans (competencies) will be developed for each functional area, and vacancies to be recruited for will be identified.

•        Additional positions involving “double-hatting” (dual reporting responsibilities) are being identified, clarified and reviewed with the Executive Directors involved and with HR and Organization and Management (O&M), as appropriate, prior to submission for CEO approval.

•        The more complex transformations involve functional areas that are to be transferred or merged with others, which will undergo a considerably higher degree of change. These include Quality Management and Clinical Audit, Media Affairs and Public Relations, Patient Relations and Social Services, Internal Audit and Operational Audit, Monitoring and Follow-up, Planning and Monitoring, and Case Management. O&M has been requested to benchmark the above-stated departments and identify the best practices to be submitted to the Task Force for review and action.

•        Our consulting service, the Advisory Board, has also been requested to carry out a survey to assist the Task Force in presenting the optimal choices and recommendations to the CEO.

Achievement: Building a Smart Hospital Using Smart Technologies

The “smart hospital” has been designed from the ground up to improve productivity and patient safety. The concept of the smart hospital is to build intelligence into the hospital system by integrating hospital information with continual redesign of clinical and business processes for patient services and satisfaction. In the hospital, many patient-related medical accidents are linked to misidentification of patients or medical equipment associated with patients. The benefit key of the smart hospital is online identification of all patients, doctors, nurses, staff, medical equipments, medications, blood bags, surgical tools, blankets, sheets, hospital rooms, departments, cabinets, and drawers. This initiative will demonstrate how identification technologies can contribute to building a smart hospital by optimizing business processes, reducing errors, and improving patient safety.

This strategic program will include all projects that use smart technologies such as RFID/barcode, ultrasound communication, smart phones, smart cards, sensors and readers, in order to implement the concept of a smart hospital.

The Strategic Project Steering Committee for Smart Hospital will oversee the enterprise-wide implementation of these technologies to ensure compatibility and full integration. It will be the responsibility of each project manager of each sub-project to carry out the project deliverables. Each sub-project steering committee must include at least one member of Strategic Project Steering Committee in order to conform with integration measures and standards.

The following are major achievements in 2011:

•        Awareness sessions about various smart technologies and their uses for hospital employees

•       Collection and analysis of departmental needs and requirements for building a smart hospital

•        Major vendor presentations and reviews

•        Agreement with KACST in order to support (financially) RFID implementation in KFSH&RC

•        Develop RFP for tracking all hospital medical equipment

•        Develop a road map for building a smart hospital using smart technologies

•       Prepare for a site visit by major U.S. hospitals that implemented RFID for tracking equipment and patients

Achievement: A Story of our Magnet Journey

KFSH&RC is close to being designated as a Magnet hospital. The journey has been long, indeed, starting with our submission of documentation last October. Our Magnet champions used all possible means to ensure enculturation of the Magnet components among CVT staff. In a brainstorming session, we came up with the idea of having a Magnet Awareness Day to inspire the staff. The planning process was tedious, full of mixed responses from target participants and staff.

Our head nurses (especially our assistant head nurse), however, were very optimistic, enthusiastic, and anxious that our very first Magnet Awareness Day be a success. We had positive, enthusiastic and creative Magnet champions who offered powerful support. We give special thanks to our beloved physicians--Drs. Halees, Fayyadh, Shaltout and Sanei-- for their financial help, as well as to the Recruitment and Retention Department for providing mugs. We also thank Abbas for supplying the bookmarks and Magnet logos. No one and nothing could bring our spirits down now! We were committed to this endeavor.

Magnet Awareness Day, March 4, 2012, started at 7 a.m. with the preparation of the physical set-up in the CVT hallway: Balloons, posters, tables – we stood ready in our eye-catching yellow and green uniforms (courtesy of Marie), our hearts tachycardic with excitement. Our Clinical Instructor, Margo, checked for needed things and placed posters. Program Director Glyn Lewis was our first participant, reviewing nursing values by means of various games that stressed education about the Magnet and its components. Our Professional Practice Model was also reviewed. Then the participants received chocolates, candies, mugs, Magnet logos and bookmarks, and had breakfast in the conference room.

People streamed in after 8 a.m. and signed in. There was a mixture of different personnel from our cardiovascular, vascular, adult and pediatric cardiology doctors to nurses and staff from different units. We had head nurses, other Magnet champions, dietitians, case managers, ward clerks, PCAs, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, housekeepers, maintenance employees, and even curious patients and sitters. An added bonus was the energizing presence of our Magnet doll.

A brilliant idea was the inclusion in the program of the Infection Control Week campaign (March 1-7). Our Nurse Educator served as the hand-hygiene point person (and also as interpreter), with gloves pinned onto his shoulders to catch the attention of participants and educate them on proper hand hygiene, by going through the process of hand-washing and checking compliance.

It was really a promising and fulfilling day! Executive Director Judy Moseley, and Program Director for Recruitment Ann Casey visited the fourm and they were strongly supportive. Judy was particularly impressed with the Magnet board showing the names of all the staff, signifying the importance of everybody to the Magnet journey. We were delighted with the enthusiastic response from the participants, especially our doctors who took the time to listen to us and go through the hand hygiene process. Of course, the important targeted participants were our nurses who needed to go through all the stations to get an overview of Magnet. We were very proud of our CVT staff that came in full force. Gladys Mouro and Brent Foreman viewed the whole process. Gladys asked Brent to have an event like this hospital-wide.

The event ended at 4:30 p.m. We had more than 180 participants! Other Magnet champions from different units were inspired by our idea and plan to have a Magnet Awareness Day in their own respective units. Magnet Awareness Day is just a start to a whole educational process. We are hoping that this will inspire other Magnet champions. Our committed group was headed by Nada, Cheryll, and Margo, with the Magnet champions Jo Villanueva, Marie Vymazalova, and our new additions, the Magnet doll, Leah Gomez, and the hand hygiene boy, Yasser Alali! Guys, you deserve a big round of applause!! Keep up the good work!

Achievement: Slip, Trip, and Fall PI Project

Slip, Trip and Fall

Mazen M. Abu -Saada , MT, CPHHA

HAZMAT Committee Chairman

Laboratory Safety Officer

Laboratory Radiation Safety Officer

Chemical Hygiene Officer

Quality Analyst

The National Safety Council (NSC) indicates that slips and falls are the single most common reason for an emergency room visit. The most frequent types of injuries to occur from a slip, trip or fall are injuries to the back, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and/or knee. In general, joint injuries tend to be most common.

Per the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), an average slip and fall injury costs roughly $28,000, which in turn puts financial strain on both individuals and companies where such injuries can occur. Slips and falls are the third largest cause of workplace injuries. Within North America, slips and falls lead to approximately 104 million lost workdays each year and end up costing approximately $36 billion dollars each year.

Slip:

When there is too little friction or traction between your feet (footwear) and the walking or working surface, and you lose your balance.

Fall:

Occurs when you are too far off your center of balance.

Trip:

When you step down unexpectedly to a lower surface (misstep) and lose your balance, e.g., stepping off a curb.

When your foot (or lower leg) hits an object and your upper body continues moving, throwing you off balance.

Common Causes of Slip, Trip and Fall:

Causes vary considerably and can include one or more of the following:

•        Wet floor or slippery surfaces

•        Cluttered work areas

•        Mats or rugs which become unanchored or loose

•        Poor lighting

•        Obstructed view

•        Uncovered cables or wires in walkways

•        Drawers not being closed

•        Human factors

•        Footwear not suitable for the environment (inappropriate footwear)

•        Lack of training and/or knowledge about slips/trips & falls

•        Extension Cords

•        Computer and Telephone Cords

Believe it or not, approximately 70 percent of slips, trips and falls occur on level walking surfaces. Training employees on methods to prevent, as well as be aware of slip, trip and fall hazards is essential to reducing the likelihood of becoming a statistic. Common sense also plays an important role in preventing slips, trips and falls.

Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) indicates some very good floor safety recommendations, some of which include:

•        Good housekeeping, keep floor surfaces clean and dry.

•        Keep working areas and walkways well lit and clear, i.e., halls and stairwells.

•        Use appropriate footwear.

•        Keep your workplace clean and tidy and prevent obstructions.

•        Ensure that wet-floor warning signs are posted in and around wet floors.

•        Quality of walking surfaces: Ensure that walkway surfaces are in good repair.

•        Minimize carpet and matting trip hazards.

•        Maintain and eliminate uneven floor surfaces.

•        Report and clean up spills immediately.

•        If you see a potential hazard, report it immediately.

Common types of injuries:

•        Sprains, strains

•        Bruises, contusions

•        Fractures

•        Abrasions, cuts

Commonly affected body parts:

•        Knee, ankle, foot

•        Wrist, elbow

•        Back

•        Shoulder

•        Hip

•        Head