Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center received the first and the second prizes for the presentations on quality improvement at 2016 Autumn Conference of the Korean Society for Quality in Health Care, which was held from November 24 to 25 last year at Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju.

The Social Work Team of Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital presented on 'Early bird activity to prevent recurrent suicidal behavior of ER patients' and won the first prize. The second prize went to the members of Hemodialysis Unit, who gave a presentation on 'Standing order for prompt first aid treatment during the hemodialysis.'

Kangnam hospital, the grand prize winner, has established a pre-notification system on a hospitalization of a patient who attempted suicide before. Through the system, social workers are actively involving in the treatment and contributing to saving lives. The hospital also organized a consulting and referring system by using customer guide app to help patients get back to their normal lives in cooperation with Seoul Suicide Prevention Center and Life Insurance Philanthropy Foundation. By putting these efforts, the Social Work Team of Kangnam Hospital earned high score.

Ward 3 Team of Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital won the first prize for their presentation on 'Improvement in handover system among nurses', while Ward 7 Team won the second prize with 'Nursing service improvement activities through customizing office spaces.'

The ward 3 Team of Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital suggested a guideline and a standardized protocol for transfer of duties in nursing, which actually helped deliver the patient information correctly and increase efficiency. Communication occurs the most during the period of transfer of duties, and it is emphasized as the most important factor in 'WHO Patient Safety Program' as well.

At 2016 Autumn Conference of the Korean Society for Quality in Health Care, a total of 856 teams presented on their quality improvement activities in various ways, including presentations, posters, and papers. In presentation session, a total of 212 teams gave presentations, and 13 teams were chosen as the grand prize winners while 30 teams were awarded the prize for excellence.

By Chul Kwon, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (chris@hallym.or.kr)