Reconfiguration of the Anaesthesia Medication Trolley Layout to Reduce Drug Administration Errors
Care Process & Redesign
Singapore Healthcare Management Congress
SingHealth
31 December 2022
Reduce drug administration errors by 30% and standardize anaesthesia trolley layouts. This initiative significantly improved patient safety and staff efficiency, demonstrating the value of human factors design.
Year Submitted: 2022
Published Date: 31 December 2022
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Value Based Care, Design Thinking, Operational Management, Inventory Management
About this Content
Aims
Reduce drug administration errors by 30% and standardize anaesthesia trolley layouts.
Background
Medication errors in operating theatres are common due to disorganized trolley layouts and similar drug appearances.
Methods
Reorganized anaesthesia trolleys using human factors principles, color coding, and standardized layouts.
Results
Reduced medication errors by 70% over 10 months, with user satisfaction over 90%.
Conclusion
This initiative significantly improved patient safety and staff efficiency, demonstrating the value of human factors design.
Lessons Learnt
Standardization and clear labeling greatly reduced errors, suggesting benefits of applying similar principles elsewhere.
Additional Information
Merit Prize (Risk Management category) at Singapore Healthcare Management Congress 2022.
Keywords
Anaesthesia Trolley, Drug Safety, Human Factors Design
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | Sengkang General Hospital |
Platform(s) | Singapore Healthcare Management Congress |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Medical, Nursing |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Anaesthesiology |
Project Lead(s) | Ching Ser Ting |
Project Member(s) | Leonard Loh |
Connect with this contributor!
Ching Ser Ting - singaporehealthcaremanagement@singhealth.com.sg
Project Attachment
C_758_SKH_SHM_2022_Reconfiguration_of_the_Anaesthesia_Medication_Trolley_Layout.pdf