UBT Co-Leads

• Setting up designated bins in operating rooms for blue wrap recycling
• Educating staff about the dos and don’ts of the bins, such as no infectious or solid waste
• Coordinating with a local charity such as Goodwill to help with processing

What can your team do to "go green"? What else could your team do to reduce waste?

• Highlighting options for taking days off, such as life balance days, vacation time and the Family and Medical Leave Act
• Encouraging a Thrive culture and extending lunch hours to allow for walks and fresh air
• Hosting monthly wellness potlucks to bond and build team unity

What can your team do to ensure employees know about the benefits and policies that affect them? 

• Correcting wrong numbers in the Patient Member Handbook
• Handling calls directly instead of routing to call center, adding voice mail and returning messages hourly
• Wearing wireless headsets to take calls remotely

What can your team do to look at its work through the eyes of the patient? 

• Instituting a regular nap time, testing both 1-3 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. slots
• Communicating to staff and families about nap time, to be quiet and posting alerts
• Coordinating with other departments to see if adjustments to time period are needed

What can your team do to try out different potiential solutions without being afraid of failure? 

• Posting laminated cards at med stations of commonly used drugs and where these are regulary stored
• Delivering drugs 15 minutes prior to adminstration to allow time to be prepared
• Color-coding bins of new meds to distinguish from a patient’s discontinued meds

What can your team do to plan ahead and prepare in advance to anticipate patient needs?

• Reformatting the log sheets to clarify tasks and reduce confusion
• Discussing the goals of compliance regularly and setting deadlines for completing logs
• Double-checking the logs to ensure quality of process and relieve patient anxiety

What can your team do to improve your work process?