Analysis of worker circulation patterns within hospital “N” after changes in staffing: Sustainable improvement of surgical departments in acute care hospitals Part 2

In the previous report, the nursing activities of surgical departments in hospital “N” were analyzed in an observational survey. The results showed some inefficiencies caused by various storage locations and mixed load works of professional and non-professional tasks for nurses. Accordingly, this paper reports on the current situation of surgical departments deploying two additional nursing assistants. The second observational survey of 19 nurses showed both job times and travel distances were reduced. The average distance traveled per nurse decreased by 31%. The preparation time for surgical tools for operating rooms and material management also shortened.