Several departments at NHCS have seen positive changes after implementing GROSS (Get Rid of Silly Stuff) activities. This innovative, ground-up initiative aims to simplify processes, eliminate duplication, and ultimately, bring greater joy and meaning to the work we do.

GROSSing Out Snail Mail: Modernising Notifications
“I did not receive any appointment letter from NHCS for follow-up health screening.” - this is often heard at the SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre (SCFC) when the patient service team called patients who missed their appointments. This common feedback prompted the team to review the processes.


SCFC Patient Services Associate (PSA) Team Members (L-R): Senior Patient Service Associate (SPSA) Jennifer Pedrealba Magistrado; Senior Patient Service Associate Executive (SPSAE) Karen Wong; Patient Service Associate Executive (PSAE) Grace Guevarra Esquierdo; and PSAE Ong Chin Chin.

SCFC traditionally used postal mail to inform patients of their follow-up appointments. However, as new communication channels emerged, the team realised that this method was becoming less effective, resulting to increased no-show rates at the clinic. Moreover, postal system was labour intensive and cost inefficient, involving multiple steps such as letter preparation, printing, insertion and arranging postal services. Recognising these challenges, the team adopted SMS (short messaging system) notifications to provide prompt appointment reminders. 

“Since implementing SMS notifications, patients have expressed appreciation for the timely appointment alerts,” SPSA Jennifer Pedrealba Magistrado from SCFC, noted. “We can now allocate our time more efficiently, as informing patients of their appointments is simpler by clicking a button.”

GROSSing Out Manual Form: Digitalisation for Efficiency
Cardiac Radiology recognised the need to modernise their processes and implemented a transformative solution. They “GROSSed” the manual pre-assessment checklist for Computed Tomography (CT) scan by digitising it into the Radiology Information System (RIS). 

Previously, the appointment process included completing a manual pre-assessment checklist, which involved filing and retrieval physical document. Once the visit was completed, the patient’s checklist was shredded to maintain confidentiality.
 
However, this process proved outdated as patients had to bring the hardcopy document to all CT appointments, creating significant paperwork and unnecessary complexity. The shift to a digital workflow in RIS has brought several benefits. Staff can now seamlessly access, retrieve and update patient’s records. This significantly reduces the clinic’s reliance on paperwork, and minimises the multiple documents patients have to bring to their appointments.  This GROSS initiative demonstrates how small changes can lead to significant improvements in workflow and patient convenience.


Cardiac Radiology PSA Team Members (L-R): SPSA Kelly Chong; PSAE Jalawati Binte Hamzah; PSAE Rohaini Binte Rosman; and PSAE Thamil Selvei D/O Anavi Palaniappan.

“Switching to the softcopy pre-assessment checklist in RIS has been a game changer. Despite an initial learning curve, the benefits of digitalising the process far outweigh the challenges. Our work is now more streamlined, and patients enjoy a more fuss-free experience,” SPSA Kelly Cheong from Cardiac Radiology Clinic shares. 

Innovation: The Key to Streamlining Processes 
These initiatives highlight the importance of innovative thinking and phasing out outdated workflows. By embracing technology, SCFC and Cardiac Radiology have improved efficiency and accuracy in their work, while enhancing the quality of patient care.  

Have a GROSS idea or completed a GROSS project? Submit your entries here (for nursing only).