St. Luke's Medical Center clinches two Health Care Asia awards

The Philippines’ premier and most respected medical institution took home the Patient Safety Initiative of the Year Award and Customer Service Award.

St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) bagged two awards during the recently concluded Healthcare Asia Awards 2019 held in Singapore.

The Philippines’ premier and most respected medical institution took home the Patient Safety Initiative of the Year Award for the pressure injury prevention algorithm and the Customer Service Award for the Grab-A-Job program.

SLMC Global City made a breakthrough on pressure wounds by implementing three approaches: Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI) Bundle, Skin Shots, and Fading the Scars.

Acknowledging the limited interventions when addressing pressure injuries despite its status as a global health concern, SLMC Global City targeted zero tolerance for HAPI.

In the hospital’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a significant number of total patients admitted from January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 developed HAPI, which prompted SLMC Global City to develop an algorithm to eliminate this incident. Recognizing this concern, SLMC Global City’s staff nurses initiated a project to ensure that no further harm is inflicted on their patients.

The program’s algorithm uses the HAPI Prevention Bundle approach, which ensures that bedside nurses comply with pressure injury prevention techniques. Each technique is created to address the Braden Risk Factors that lead to pressure injuries.

It also utilizes Skin Shots, an improved assessment and documentation process that uses clear acetate film to note the size of a pressure injury and a digital camera to photograph its appearance post-consent.

Finally, its Fading the Scars uses a daily counter that monitors the unit’s success in preventing HAPI. With the results displayed visually in their units, the approach fostered a high sense of fulfillment for the staff nurses, motivating them to make everyday a HAPI-free day.

From its implementation up to December 2018, the project has already achieved its goal of zero HAPI cases in the medical ICU, which has become one of the unit’s most notable achievements for clinical outcomes.

The breakthrough also helped achieve SLMC Global City’s mission to provide patient satisfaction and patient safety as proved by zero patient complaints related to medical ICU-acquired pressure injuries.

With its proven value, this breakthrough project will soon be implemented hospital wide. On the other hand, SLMC Quezon City initiated the Grab-A-Job program to increase the productivity of support staff by cutting down waiting time and eliminating miscommunication between the requesting and performing units. It also aspires to enhance the delivery of service, which leads to better patient experience.

Grab-A-Job monitors the turnaround time by keeping track of the time spent from creation to grabbing to completion of the request.

Prior to this new system, job requests for Facilities Management and Engineering (FME) and Biomedical Engineering (BME) are done manually. Requests are phoned in and manually recorded in a logbook. The requesting unit had to wait for FME and BME support staff to check the logbook before responding to requests. Besides the time-consuming manual process, there were delays in service when there are missing details in the logbook or when necessary  equipment or tools were not brought by the assigned technician.

The Hospital Operations head sponsored the Grab-A-Job project and formed cross-functional team representatives from Nursing, Ancillary Services, FME, BME and Information Technology. The system was designed to fast track sending of requests and notification to units, eliminating unnecessary waiting time while measuring, monitoring and reporting turnaround time.

Additionally, the project also prompted behavioral change from support Associates by making them conscious of their performance compared to the set standards. It highlights areas for improvement and likewise recognizes areas of strength. To boost morale, Associates with the most number of completed requests are also acknowledged.

The hospital achieved an average of 20% to 60% increase in timeliness as opposed to the standard time set before Grab-A-Job project. End users from requesting and performing units also provided positive feedback on this system.

The Healthcare Asia Awards 2019 was held on May 23, 2019 at the Conrad Centennial Singapore.

This year's nominations were judged by a panel consisting of Abhay Bangi, Partner, Life Sciences & Healthcare Lead, Ernst & Young; Dr. Loke Wait Chiong Executive Director, Healthcare Sector Leader, Deloitte; Dr. Zubin Daruwalla, Director, SEAC Health Industries Leader, PwC; Chin Chee Choon, Advisory Leader, Nexia TS; and Willy Leow, Partner, Risk Advisory Services, BDO LLP.

Check out the event photos during the awards night here.

If you would like to join the 2020 awards and be awarded as one of the most outstanding healthcare companies in the region, please email Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].