When it comes to kids, there’s no such thing as a routine blood draw. Their “pre-poke” anxiety can make a clean draw practically impossible. That’s why more facilities are employing the distraction technique to keep kids’ attention away from the needle. All it takes is a little color and a little imagination and you can …
Transform Any Blood Draw Station Into a Kid-Friendly Distraction Station Read More »
The drawers in your procedure carts should be an extension of the 5S Lean processes that are applied in storage rooms. This can be easily accomplished by adding drawer organizers that keep cart contents neat and accessible. For procedure carts containing equipment or instruments, use drawer organizers with larger compartments. Be sure to label your …
Small Change, Big Results: An Orderly Procedure Cart Drawer Could Save a Life Read More »
Creating a kid-friendly pediatric cart that can help distract attention from the needle is one approach you can use to make a difference in a child’s venipuncture experience. Best of all, because by nature the cart is mobile, you can take your “distractions” with you wherever you have to perform a draw. 1. Start with …
Build a Kid-Friendly Cart for an Easier Blood Draw Read More »
Labeling is a crucial part of the 5S Lean process of setting things in order. Every item, and location where items are set, should be clearly labeled so no time or effort is wasted searching. When time is critical, semi-permanent label holders are perfect for keeping supply areas up-to-date on their labeling: holders with magnets, …
Small Change, Big Results: Why You Need to Use Labels on Your Wire Shelves Read More »
At Florida Hospital, Celebration Health, 5S Lean isn’t necessarily defined as a massive undertaking. Instead, staff of the Orlando-area hospital recognize big problems and find small ways to fix them. Here’s one of their stories. Margaret Bartlett is a laboratory operations director at Celebration Health. Her department received concerns from the labor and delivery unit …
Small Change, Big Results: One Clinical Lab’s Success Story Read More »
Distraction Products Offer Ways to Avoid Costly Blood Draw Errors The pre-venipuncture distress of a pediatric patient isn’t just a problem for phlebotomists – it can create problems downstream and at the administrative level. Why? Having to perform a redraw due to a compromised or inadequate sample is an added expense that adds up – …
Now Mounting Supplies on a Wall Near You You may have seen our LabWall organization system, but just not quite sure how it works. It’s simple. If it mounts, it counts! Simply place your most often used supplies in an appropriate organizational accessory and mount up. Most accessories are built ready to mount, while others …
Small Change, Big Results: What Works with LabWall? Read More »
Who said micro-management was a bad thing? Dividers, bin cups, and angled inserts are a great way to sort and set in order within bin spaces. Add lids to keep items contained and labels to make items easy to find.
Are you overwhelmed at the thought of de-cluttering your phlebotomy area? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Look at the big picture and think “Lean” to get you started, because 5S Lean practices translate to safer and more efficient blood draws. And the time you save lets you put a greater focus on your patients. 1. …
Organizing Your Blood Draw Station: 3 Tips to Get You Started Read More »
Waste reduction is the name of the game for Lean healthcare facilities. By switching from traditional blood collection tubes to Sarstedt’s S-Monovette Blood Collection System, hospitals, doctor offices, and clinics can reduce sharps waste by up to 5X and concurrently cut disposal costs. Additionally, the S-Monovette System reduces inventory and streamlines processes because it can …
Small Change, Big Results: One Tube, Two Draw Methods, Five Times Less Waste Read More »
