Title: Application communication software to digitize the morning report work of the nursing department
Abstract:
Background: With the increasing global crisis of climate change and resource depletion, energy conservation and carbon reduction have become a worldwide consensus and direction for action. Adhering to the principle of sustainable management, our hospital has established a strategic goal: “Energy conservation and carbon reduction cannot be delayed; simplicity and avoidance of waste must be practiced.” The Nursing Department reviewed routine administrative workflows and identified that the daily morning briefing required the printing of the Hospital-wide Operational Report in hard copy for supervisors and staff to review and record. The cumulative annual paper consumption was substantial, resulting in excessive use of resources, increased costs of consumables, a higher carbon footprint, and storage space occupation, which negatively impacted workflow efficiency and environmental orderliness.
This project, aligned with the sustainable development policy, aimed to introduce a digitalized approach to the morning briefing. The objectives were: to substantially reduce paper consumption, implement energy-saving and carbon-reduction strategies, lower expenditures on printing materials (paper and toner), improve immediacy and convenience of data access and sharing, optimize administrative space, and maintain a clean and orderly working environment.
Methods: In 2023, the Nursing Department consumed approximately 730 sheets of A4 paper, costing NT$2,920, for the morning briefing. Starting January 2024, the following measures were implemented in alignment with hospital policy:
1. Needs assessment and feasibility evaluation:
(1) Conducted interviews with supervisors and staff involved in the morning briefing to understand information content and usage patterns.
(2) Evaluated feasibility and potential challenges of digitalization.
2. Digital platform development:
(1) Established a departmental LINE group as the platform for uploading morning reports.
(2) Reports were uploaded daily in Excel or PDF format, organized in date-labeled folders for archiving and retrieval.
3. Workflow redesign:
(1) Responsible staff uploaded the completed report daily to the departmental LINE group.
(2) All readers accessed reports via computer or mobile devices, eliminating the need for hard copies.
4. Education and promotion:
(1) Provided operational training for all nursing supervisors and staff involved in the morning briefing to ensure proficiency in accessing and using the digital platform.
(2) Established a feedback channel for user input.
5. Follow-up and feedback mechanisms:
(1) Collected user feedback and monitored utilization monthly during the initial phase.
(2) Continued iterative process improvement based on actual operational outcomes.
Results: After implementation, paper consumption and associated costs for the morning briefing decreased by more than 95%. Expenses related to printing supplies (toner cartridges, printer maintenance) were also reduced. Data could be accessed in real time, administrative efficiency improved, and staff feedback was positive.
Conclusion: The adoption of communication software to digitalize the Nursing Department’s morning briefing successfully achieved multiple goals of paper reduction, energy conservation, cost savings, and efficiency improvement. This initiative aligned with the hospital’s energy-saving and carbon-reduction policies and provided a practical model for reforming other paper-based administrative processes. Future expansion of this approach to meeting minutes, form submissions, and other commonly used workflows is recommended, contributing toward the long-term goal of establishing a sustainable paperless hospital.
