Authors (including presenting author) :
LAM HW, WONG HY, CHAN YM, TANG YH, TSANG TWK
Affiliation :
Administrative Services Department, Tin Shui Wai Hospital
Introduction :
Adopting robotics in hospital setting enables more possibilities in manpower redeployment and reduction in manual handling operation risks. Tin Shui Wai Hospital (TSWH) introduced a cleansing robot in October 2020, releasing existing manpower from simple and repetitive public corridor mopping duty, to strengthen other labour intensive cleansing work, such as public toilet cleansing. The in-built eco-friendly system of the cleansing robot allows TSWH to save precious water resources in daily cleansing routine.
Objectives :
(1) to redeploy manpower for other labour intensive cleansing duties; (2) to streamline existing workflow and reduce manual handling operation risks; (3) to optimise the use of non-peak hours for routine cleansing work; and (4) to achieve the goal of being a Green Hospital.
Methodology :
Controlled conditions such as (1) number of man-hours used in mopping at various locations, (2) number of related incident on-duty, and (3) figure of water consumption were collected prior to the introduction of cleansing robot.
Outcomes were evaluated in the corresponding aspects: (1) number of other cleansing tasks carried out by mopping staff, (2) number of related incident on-duty, and (3) water consumption by the cleansing robot.
Result & Outcome :
Prior to the introduction of the cleansing robot, (1) 189 man-hours per month were used for mopping at public areas during office hours and (2) the average water consumption was 1800L per month .
Upon the introduction of the cleansing robot, (1) the saved 189 man-hours were redeployed for cleansing of public toilets. The frequency of public toilet cleansing at G/F and 1/F increased from 6 times to 8 times per day. (2) A net saving of water consumption of 1085L per month (from 1800L to 750L) was observed, which significantly reduced water consumption for the same cleansing procedure by approximately 60%. (3) With the streamlined workflow, repetitive manual handling procedures, such as mopping and water refill, were reduced, and the number of related IOD cases remained 0.
There is no doubt that the introduction of the cleansing robot can enhance cleansing efficiency and effectiveness in TSWH. It also provides opportunity for service improvements by streamlining existing workflow for better quality control and reduction in manual handling operation risk.
